reply to post by Clearskies
Hi Clearskies!
I posted this info in another gardening thread. Hope it's okay to re-post it here. But this is where Jims and I got the idea.
Unfortunately, I had stuck these tips in a wordpad document for gardening tips. I do not recall where it came from. Just know that these tips are not
mine. Okay?
Growing Tomatos Upside Down
Tomatoes are a sweet and delicious fruit from a very tolerant plant. They're so popular to grow because they're so easy. As a vine, they're also
good for the gardener with very little space. This article will tell you how to grow tomatoes hanging from the ceiling - although it could be adapted
to suit a hanging basket, too.
[edit] Steps
1. Set up your hanger. Choose a sunny place indoors. Your plant can be hung from a hook in the ceiling or tied around a beam. Using string or
twine, knot a basket that your upside down milk bottle will sit in without slipping out or toppling sideways. Attach it to your ceiling, ready for the
plant.
2. Take a small tomato plant; bought or grown from seed are both fine. Water it well and set it to one side.
3. Take your large plastic milk bottle and cut off the base. Remove the lid.
4. Take your tomato plant out of its pot and set it upside down in the milk bottle, with the plant poking through the pouring hole.
5. Fill in the milk bottle with a mixture of good compost and garden soil, and water it. Now you see why the hanger was put up first - it's
impossible to put the plant on a surface without covering it in soil or damaging the plant.
[edit] Tips
* Water your tomato plant regularly and make sure it gets plenty of sunshine - sunlight is the key to dark, ripe tomatoes.
* Your tomato plant will grow downwards, so hang it somewhere it won't be in the way.
* To adapt it to suit a hanging basket, cut a hole in the bottom of the basket liner and follow the above steps.
* Make sure the hook or beam are secure, as the plant can get quite heavy.
[edit] Things You'll Need
* A large plastic milk bottle
* A young tomato plant
* Compost and/or garden soil
* Trowl
* Scissors/craft knife
* String or twine
* Hook in the ceiling (optional, if you have something else it can be hung from)