Upside down gardening

[texasgal]

My husband tried something he heard on the radio called "Upside Down Gardening" Basically, you cut a small hole in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, just large enough for a little tomato plant. Put it through the hole very gently being careful not to hurt the leaves. It will be on the bottom. Brace it so it has room to hang down. Then fill the bucket with good soil, compost, etc. We added some earthworms to keep the soil aeriated (sp?). He then planted some bush beans on the top. The tomato will grow up and the tomatoes will not be in the dirt, so they say. I will post later to let you know how it is doing, but so far, so good! The great thing is, we will have two vegetables from very little space and the water will benefit both plants. If anyone has already had success (or failure) with this method, please share. I'm really excited about this. We also have a regular garden that is very large. We are just trying this in 3 5 gallon buckets as an experiment. :l0 (29):

[prairiemom]

Very http://bestsmileys.com/cool/1.gif Is there a website for this?

[prairiemom]

I found this website: http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/tomato2.html It doesn't mention beans, but mentions planting herbs on top

[Abinadi]

Well I knew at some point I would need to learn to do things upside down, now someone has paved the path for it. LOL
I hope is works well for you...keep us posted.
A plant hung upside down from rafters has real possiblities here.

Abinadi

[texasgal]

Try this website for tips and information:

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/totuupdotofl.html

I hope the link works, it didn't turn blue when I hit enter. If not, copy and paste it. Our containers are bigger than the ones shown in this website, that is why we are growing beans on top. It's large enough to do them. Herbs are a great idea, too.
Prairiemom-your website is great! I just looked at it and it looks better than the one I found. Thanks for your help.

[texasgal]

Here's another great website:

http://www.minifarmhomestead.com/gardening/tomato.htm

[texasgal]

Well, we learned many things with our attempt at upside down gardening. First, don't use anything plastic-it gets too hot and burns up the roots. Second, use lots of moss to absorb water. Keeping the plants hydrated was a HUGE challenge. Next year we might buy an upside down container specifically for growing things upside down. Wire or mesh with a thick coating of moss around it might do the trick, too. I might try one of each. If there is a next year with the way things are going now. :willy_nilly:

[Toni]

bump