Does your tomato garden patch let you down? Your tomato plants are straggling, your stakes break away and weeds plague you? Do not despair... you can bring adventure back into your gardening.
The invention:
Surprised..? .No one is.... not in the least Mr. Bill Felknor, an inventor from Knoxville, Tennessee who believes God intended tomatoes to be grown upside down. Two million Americans think so too as they set about growing plants that will ideally produce 30 pounds of tomatoes each. Growing tomatoes need not be a back-breaking chore and you don't have to cover yourself in garden soil rooting for weeds and aphids.
The upside down tomato does not need a lot of garden space either. Even a small patio, or a terrace or balcony will suffice to set up your hanging garden. Plant your tomatoes, root them in a good potting soil and you can sit on the patio and be wonder struck as you can see your plants grow like Jack's beanstalk.
The process of growing the upside down tomato
All you need to do is to start with some good tomato seedlings, potting soil, a 5 gallon paint can with handle or an old bucket, a watering can and a good bit of trellis wire .Place the can or bucket upside down and with a utility knife carve out a hole at least 3+ in diameter. Now set the bucket (or can) right side up between two wooden benches and fill them with the soil all around the hole you have just drilled. Gently hold the tomato plant by the stem and leaves and thread it through the hole so that the shoots hang down and the root ball is retained inside the bucket. You can now pack the soil tightly and up to three inches below the rim of the bucket.
Water the plants carefully, the commercial containers have a sponge that helps to retain the water and this addresses the main problem with container gardens, allowing the water to seep in and fill up the loose spaces within the soil. When water begins to drip out from the shoots out., lift the bucket by its handle taking care not to let the plants trail on the ground. Hang the tomato bucket on to a post or patio using the trellis wire. Now your tomatoes are ready to grow upside down. If, however, you don't like working with beat-up cans or tools send out your order for a "hanging garden'
The Topsy Turvy Planter
The Upside Down Tomato Garden has room for more plants on top of the pot. The commercial ones feature a sponge that retains water around the roots. This solves the real problem of keeping the plant adequately watered. This Topsy Turvy can be sold for more than $8 upward to $54 for the high end ones
America initially was the upside down land of tomato growers, but these days people from every country seem to be growing tomatoes this way as this has caught the imagination and fancy of millions of people around the world.
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