Hanging Tomato Plants

Homegrown tomatoes are always preferred to store bought ones. But space crunch is one of the most common hindrances for such gardening. If you want to grow tomatoes, but, does not have enough ground space, then, hanging tomato plants is a viable option. Even if you have enough space, this method is said to be advantageous in many ways.

How to Hang Tomato Plants Upside Down

As mentioned above, the method of hanging tomato plants is beneficial for those who face space crunch. You don't need ground space for planting tomatoes or for keeping containers with these plants. All you need is a sunny location, where you can hang the containers. Another advantage is the ease to prune and harvest. Weed menace and soil-borne tomato plant diseases will be lesser. If you resort to this method (as seen on TV), you can do away with stakes and tomato cages. It is also said that tomatoes grown in this way yield fruits earlier, as compared to their counterparts. Another contention is that such hanging tomato plants yield more. But, as compared to those grown on ground, these plants do not develop a sprawling root system and this results in smaller plants. You may also face difficulty in hanging these heavy containers with the soil and plant. However, this is one of the preferred methods of growing tomato plants.

• First of all, collect the required materials for hanging tomato plants upside down. You need five gallon buckets, some strong chord, soil and tomato seedlings. Nowadays, upside down tomato planters are available in the market.
• Clean the bucket and drill a hole in its bottom. The hole must have a diameter of two to three inches and should be in the center. Place a few layers of newspaper on the bottom of the bucket and make a slit through the hole.
• The next step is to fill the bucket with soil. You will need a 40 lb bag of soil, to fill a five gallon bucket. It will be better to buy soil with added nutrients.
• Once you are done with the soil, you may either cover it with the lid that has holes for watering. You may also leave it uncovered.
• If the buckets have holes along the edges, you can insert chords through the holes and tie the chord to the hook that is meant for hanging the bucket. Otherwise, drill four holes at equal distances, along the edge of the bucket.
• Now, hang the bucket and plant the seedling, through the slit made in the newspaper. The roots of the seedling must be well inside the soil. Some people plant the seedling first and allow it to grow erect, by keeping the bucket straight. The bucket is hanged upside down, only when the plant gets established.
• The location, where you hang the tomato plants, must provide the plants with good sunlight. Care for these plants include daily watering, but, avoid over watering that lead to dripping.
• Rotate the plants, once a week, in order to expose all parts to sunlight. This will prevent growing of these plants in a single direction. It is recommended to feed the plants once in every two weeks with a balanced fertilizer. You may also prune those branches that do not produce fruits.

In short, hanging tomato plants is not a difficult task that require any expertise. It is very easy and convenient for growing tomato plants upside down. The above said is a brief overview about how to hang tomato plants upside down, in the proper manner. If you have further queries, gain more information from the local nursery or a horticulturist.