2 Liter Upside-Down Tomato Planters

I love spring!  I love planting seeds or seedlings, and watching the little shoots come up with my kids in the sun.  And of course, eating the fresh veggies and fruit. 

I had always wondered about those inverted tomato planters that are sold on t.v., if they really worked well or had any benefit of growing healthier plants, but I didn't want to shell out the money to try one, not being sure of the result.  So I did a little research online and found that you can easily make your own planters by recycling 2-liter bottles, chopticks, and a chain or twine.  How cool is that?  Here's the link I found to make the planters: Upside-down Planters (Thanks, cheapvegetablegardener.com!).

Once you make the planter, it's simple to get the seedlings into it.  Small, 4-inch pot or smaller seedlings work best for this project.  Gently wrap a paper towel snugly around the leaves, and use tape to secure.  

Thread it through starting from the bottom of the planter, through the nozzle, and carefully pull the paper-towel wrapped plant through.  

 

Unwrap the paper towel, and hang the planter up using a chopstick and twine or chain.  

Water generously, and wait for your yummy tomato harvest! (I'm using grape and cherry tomato seedlings from my local nursery. Each 4-inch plant was only $.98.)    

Now, the verdict is still out as to whether these are better at producing fruit than right-side-up plants, but it's fun to hang them around our small yard.  They're at about eye-level so it reminds me to water them, and as an added bonus, our veggie-loving dog cannot reach them!  Let me know if you try it and how your harvest goes...