Upside Down Tomatoes
By Cindy Naas
Recently, I received an email from a friend asking my opinion on growing tomatoes upside down.
Honestly, I didn’t have an opinion at the time, although I did suggest that the person eat a little something with her pinot noir before emailing me next time. However, after doing some research, I had to apologize to my friend.
Upside down tomato growing is becoming a popular way of adding tomatoes to a small garden.
I discovered that some people feel that growing tomatoes upside down will prevent rot and blight by keeping the tomatoes off the ground, and will increase yield, too. I’m not convinced, so I am going to grow one tomato plant upside down and another planted in a traditional pot. By the end of this summer, I should be able to answer this question and have photos to prove it.
The Method
You will need:
- 1 large bucket- 5 gallon is good
- potting soil with some manure added
- a drill or knife for cutting the hole in the bottom
Drill a hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket. The hole should be about 2″ in diameter. Fill the bucket with potting soil mix. Cover with a lid or place a piece of cardboard over to serve as a lid.
Turn the bucket upside down, and plant one tomato seedling through the hole you’ve drilled in the bottom of your bucket. Make sure to plant deeply. Water the entire bucket with a mix of water and organic fertilizer, and hang from a sturdy hook.
As with any hanging basket, this will dry out easily in hot or windy weather, so watering frequently is a must.
The Project
I have planted one tomato in a planter and have one hanging upside down in its bucket. I’m going to take pictures as the season progresses, and I’ll also be logging all of the tomatoes produced by both plants. I’m excited to see if this new growing method actually works.
I’ll be posting pictures and more details as the plants grow.
[ For more tomato growing tips and ideas, be sure to visit our sister site, Tomato Casual ]
May 27th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I love this experiment! I think I’ll join you. Great idea to help prove or disprove a technique.
May 27th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I agree. I’d seen ads for this, but it was for some sort of kit costing a fortune, so I dismissed it. Now I’m curious.
–kate
May 28th, 2008 at 7:45 am
[...] She posts a great how to here. [...]
May 28th, 2008 at 8:32 am
I hope you’ll post a new comment or even better, email me as your tomatoes grow. It will be interesting to compare notes during this season!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I’ve seen someone with cherry tomato hanging baskets by their front door - what a yummy idea!
The regular watering has to be a chore, the same as with flowers, but a much more fantastic reward than a few blooms!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I’ve seen expensive growers for sale in Skymall magazines.
Posted By Ben Koshkin - benkoshkin.info
May 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
[...] By Ben Koshkin about growing tomatoes upside down, I’ve seen expensive versions of this in [...]
May 28th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Sorry, but with a n=1 in each sample, you will not have the statistical strength to prove anything. We see similar projects in grade school science fairs every year. You need to control for several variables, amount of light, water, nutrients, health of seeds or seedlings, presence or absence of pests and have a sufficient sample size (at least six of each) to draw any valid conclusions. The pictures should be nice but not conclusive of anything. I am not involved with the upside down tomato group–just an interested onlooker. Hope both tomatoes are good.
May 28th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Frank,
What a poo pooer you are. Let the woman try her experiment for gosh sakes without getting all scientific on her. She’s not going to publish her results in a scientific journal.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I recieved one of these upside kits for my birthday. I have yet to plant it, because I don’t have a good hook in yet. I do have a nice yellow tomato I’m planning on using. I better get to it soon, it’s getting pretty big on my window sill.
I look forward to seeing your results!
Jackie
May 28th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I planted 2 upside down tomato plants last year and they were great. Not as plentiful or large as my garden tomatoes, but just as delicious…and no worries about bugs or fungus…
This year I’m doing upside down cherry tomatoes. So much easier to manage them there than in the garden…
Also, if you don’t mind having to water more frequently, you can plant marigolds or other flowers in the top!! Makes it a bit prettier…
ENJOY!!!!
May 28th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I’ve been doing this exact technique for a couple of years with great results each time. I grow tomatoes in the garden as well, and last year a number of the ground tomatoes were badly damaged by cut-worm. The other advantage of the upside down tomatoes, besides few-to-no bugs, is the plants tend to grow large and with lots of room between all the branches and leaves, making it easy to get the ripe fruit.
It’s important to hang the plants at a hight that keeps them from touching the ground, but is still easy to water. I put herb seeds in the soil at the top and have a great herb garden throughout the summer.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
[...] someone please tell Mr. OMSH that I am NOT white trash for wanting to plant upside down tomoatoes? I KNOW those are ugly, hanging, buckets, but HOW EASY would this be to harvest? SO EASY. [...]
May 28th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I really wanted to do this method this year as well, but time got away from me before I realized that all of my heirloom tomatoes are far too large for upside-down growing.
Larger fruit producers won’t fare well with this method. Fair warning. Otherwise it is an amazing use of space that many folks here in the south use. Besides the benefit of less ground space used, these plants have increased airflow through their leaves and branches. Good stuff!
May 28th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Wow, so much interest in this method. I feel like I really missed something by not hearing about this earlier, but I am really looking forward to posting my results and reading about all of yours.
I agree, by the way, with the above poster who kindly pointed out that a sample of 1 is not going to produce statistically significant results. I’m doing one this summer only because of starting the game so late, but I realize that this is not a useful sample. However, I intend to have fun with it. As a science experiment, using half a dozen plants of both upside down and ground planted tomatoes would be a great project for my homeschooled children for next summer, and I already am writing plans down in next summer’s gardening journal. Thanks for the great idea!
May 29th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Alright… I have tried using the bucket approach to other garden efforts, and one thing I notice is that eventually the buckets become brittle due to exposure to the sun.
Any advice on that?
May 30th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
This is a great idea and since I have a few extra 5 gallon buckets, I plan on trying it too.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
This (2008) is our 2nd year growing upside-down, in Boise, Idaho. In my garden, I found Romas & Cherry’s were really well-suited & produced happily. Bigger tomatoes, not so well. There’s a problem with the vines kinking & twisting from heavier fruits hanging, since your vines will be determined to grow UP not DOWN. It’s true, you MUST keep the potting mix well-watered, especially later in the season when there’s lots of fruit & the temps are staying high. These will just flash-dry like laundry hanging on the line, darned fast. And, I found the plants weren’t happy without added fertilizer. Seems as if the soil just “washes out” from more frequent watering. The dirt doesn’t fall out, but the plants starve for nutrients, similar to any potted plant compared to it’s brethren in the field.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:07 am
I have seen many articles on this, NONE of which involved buying a kit. If you get the 5 gallon pails with a lid, one site recommended, putting drain holes in the lid. Fill the bucket, put on the lid and turn it over and plant a tomato in the hole in the bottom. Let it grow for a while until it starts to produce flowers. Then turn the bucket over, hang it so the plant is now hanging down. Yes the new growth will try to grow upwards but a good chunk of the plant is already grown (less tangling???). Remove the lid from top of the bucket for watering. If you plant some marigold, geraniums, trailing verbena, geranium….you could not only have an attractive flowering bucket but also a food crop. Wonder how this would work for cucumbers! ! !
May 31st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I tried this last summer.
Keeping the soil completely moist is the biggest problem that you will have. While kind of obvious, hot dry weather and wind will dry out the pots inside an afternoon!
Be sure to use a potting mix that drains well, yet retains an enormous amount of water, and wets thoroughly and easily when watered. I tried test pot using a mix of a good brand of potting soil and I added a lot of sphagnum moss. It worked very well but the overall cost per tomato harvested began to approach store prices!!
May 31st, 2008 at 11:43 pm
yay!
I’m doing that too. I wish I’d thought of doing that years ago.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Anyone have suggestions on keeping the buckets from becoming brittle from exposure to the sun?
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Samuel Wright, I wrapped mine in a cloth. I used an old t-shirt and that seems to work well.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
[...] following the cool experiment outlined by Cindy Haas of urbangardencasual, I have built my upside down tomato planter. I used a cat litter bucket. And that amuses me. [...]
June 4th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi Cindy,
I’m trying the upside down tomatoes as well. Don’t have the space for the bucket-just a small patio garden. So I took a hanging basket lined with coco lining and made a hole in the basket lining.
Planted marigolds on top as a companion plant. So will see if it gives me tomatoes.
Will keep you posted as I plan to take photos to track the progress.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
My dad just did this (before I saw this posting) and it looks and works great so far!
June 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
You can buy a prefabricated upside down planter; they’re on QVC all the time (although I’ve heard there is a recall on the one I’m thinking about). This year I tried the same experiment you mentioned above (one celbrity tomato in an upside down planter I made from a 4 gallon bucket, and one in a right-side up planter). So far, my upside down tomato is loaded with tomatoes and I’m only barely starting to see blooms on my other one (although I did plant it about a week later).
Dave
—–
http://www.google.com
June 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Just remembered the name of the prefabricated upside down planter I was thinking about: Topsy Turvy. I think you can get two of them for just under $20, at least on QVC. I didn’t want to spend the money so I made my own. Cost about $3 for the bucket.
Dave
—–
A search engine that you can count on. http://www.google.com
June 8th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Have planted tomato plants upside down. Is there any water retention items available to keep them from drying out so quickly?
Mike
June 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
There is a product called Soil Moist that is granules which absorb and retain moisture. Most hardware stores have it. Cost is around $13/lb. but a little goes a long way. Granules absorb about 400 times their size in water. Should help with the water retention. Just remember to water sufficiently to start so the granules get full, otherwise they soak up ALL the water - almost killed my African Violets until I figured that out. Good Luck.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Thanks Marian! Will get some today.
Mike
June 10th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Ha ha ha … thats an good idea for growing Upside down tomatoes … heard for the first time
June 10th, 2008 at 11:51 am
You are all going to have to keep me updated on your upside down tomatoes. My bucket was stolen over the weekend and so my experiment has been cut short, sad to say. I’m going to replant with another bucket but I won’t be able to compare the new plant to the ones I’ve had in pots for three weeks.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I would recommend adding vermiculite to the soil to increase the water & fertilizer holding capacity.
I added a couple of earthworms to each bucket based on some advice I read somewhere.
I painted my frame & buckets the same color as my house - the paint on the buckets should help block some of the UV from making the buckets brittle.
Finally, I installed drip irrigation for the buckets so that I don’t have to water daily. I got a Rain Bird kit that looks like a standard sprinkler head & has 6 small hoses that go to each bucket. The kit was $15, plus a controller , valve, piping, & fittings. If you already have lawn sprinklers, it’s just a retrofit.
so far, so good
June 14th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Samuel Wright - I use foil on my containers. I don’t put it on tight, just attach it to the rim good & leave it loose around the bucket, so air can move between the foil & the container. It helped keep the bucket from heating up & baking the roots. I think it helped keep the soil from drying out as fast too. This year I’m trying sewing elastic to help secure it at the rim & it hasn’t blow off yet (last year it blew off a couple times).
My husband put a watering system (on a timer) in. We have one on our roses & it was worth every penny!
My biggest problem with the tomatoes is with earwigs. Earwigs will climb just about anything…little buggers! I sprinkle earwig bait at the base of the posts and no more earwigs in my tomatoes. I could never use the bait when they were planted in the ground & they ate every tomato on 3 plants. Ha - finally fooled ‘em!!!!
Good luck & eating to all!!!!
June 15th, 2008 at 12:36 am
[...] husband saw the upside down tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and wants to plant two [...]
June 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I tried this last year with a product purchased from TV. Problems:
- that container gets HEAVY… pick up a potted plant after its been watered and see how heavy it is. The instructions tell you to re-inforce the soffit, etc. before hanging. I ended up hanging mine from a steel frame for a carport.
- must be watered frequently… that small container is hanging in ambient air and just cooking during the day. I had to water at least 1 - 2x day
I did get tomatoes, but frankly, the Earth Box was much less hassle with better results.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Awesome Idea! I tried it and it is lovely as well as good for the tomatoe.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
A method we use keep water in the bottom of the bucket: we drill a hole using a 3/4″ hole saw in the bottom of the bucket. Than, adhere a short (approx 2″) piece of 3/4 PVC pipe inside the hole flush with the bottom. We used aquarium silicon adhesive. Use a right smart amount, and let it dry completely. It helps retain water, but still, our hot Georgia sun has a tendency to dry bucket soil fast. Hope this helps.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:01 am
I used this method to grow tomatoes when I was single and living in a studio apartment with a small,sunny deck, It works great, I only had one plant but it produced way more than enough tomatoes for me, I probably gave away half of my harvest to my tomato-less friends.
remember to prune the plant of the “sucker” leaves and use blossom set spray to increase yields
June 21st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I have six hanging planters (the large half round black metal ones with the coco fiber liners) planted with tomatoes upside down and marigolds and petunias on top. These I have hung from a gazebo that had lost its canopy. The flowers have done great, the tomatoes are about 2 ft in length. Each has several blossoms and 2 tomatoes on them. The tomatoes all tend to grow up and not down. T started them from 5 inch tall starter plants. I also planted a cherry tomato and a early girl both in 5 gallon paint cans. Those were both about a foot tall when planted they are doing great. My only problem now is the weather , 111 degrees yesterday and will continue for the week!. I hang sheets to protect the hanging plants and follow the shade around the yard with the other plants!!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Yeah what a great experiment is right! I’ve been wanting to try growing tomatoes upside down but I haven’t done so yet. I think you gave me that extra push to try it and see what is better. Be interesting to know the outcome.
Hope all turns out great for your tomatoes. I’ll be back to check in on your experiment and to see how your yield turned out. Be nice to see some more pictures as well.
Love your blog, great work!
Sincerely,
Jamie Boyle
Hypertufa Gardener
June 30th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I tried this last year, I could not keep up with the watering, they died. Drip irrigation sounds good and a neccessity for someone who works every day, (or a better memory than mine, to remember to water every day)
July 5th, 2008 at 10:58 am
This system does work and thanks for the “home-made application.
Tomatoes are such adaptable plants almost anything works, but like tending all living things, it does take diligence. Because of odd weather this year and too much wildfire smoke, we have had to change many of our practices and be more Aware.
Visit our Video Series for 2008 13 weeks finished and more to come
Growing Tomatoes for Health and Wealth
Thanks again for the informative post
July 11th, 2008 at 8:20 am
What a great idea! I have to grow my tomatoes on a small deck and next year I will be trying this instead of using grow-bags.
If it works out for you anyway. I will be watching with interest for the next installment.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:30 am
Reading most of the posting I keep asking myself some questions. How about photosynthesis? and those stomata that help respiration?
remmember that the natural enviroment for a plant is not upside down.
is normal to have smaller fruits, because there is less photosynthesis done and logical to have a loss of water because the stomata stand in the sunlight, unprotected, so there is a larger amount of perspiration ( loss of water from the plant )
greetings from madrid
September 4th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
We are doing the upsidedowns - yield IS smaller - here is our issue - one of our three looks like is has Early Blight - one of the plus sides of upsidedowns was supposed to be a resistance to this - any ideas out there? - the soil and all plastic was brand new this year - no composted materials….
September 5th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I honestly don’t have even a good guess as to how your upside down tomatoes got blight. I’m assuming they are high off the ground?
I am hoping that some of our readers will know the answer to this. Anyone else have an answer?
September 26th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Since we can’t be sure where the soil in the bags comes from, we can’t know that it’s not from blighted tomatoes. The last few years we’ve grown our heirlooms in 40-lb bags of “potting soil” in raised beds. We’ve seen (late) blight to varying degrees in most bags each year. In the UK you can purchase a tomato-specific mix in bags that are marked with lines to show where to score them. I do wonder how they eliminate the issue of blight, unless they are using soil that has been sterilized or baked as part of the production process.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:32 am
To help with watering, spiral a drip line inside the bucket before you place the soil or plant the tomato seedling. When you hang the bucket, the line can connect any other drip feeds you might have. Use the same drip feed system with your other seedling so that you’ll know they were given the same amount of water. Hopefully this helps the experiment