How to Grow Tomatoes Upside Down
Not everyone enjoys tilling the soil like many gardeners do. Maybe you live in an apartment that has no room for an outdoor garden. Maybe health problems keep you from getting outside and kneeling down in a garden. Maybe you just don’t want bothered with the insects that are associated with the great outdoors. Whatever the situation, an outdoor garden may not be the solution for everyone. These folks can still enjoy growing tomatoes and avoiding all of these things by growing tomato plants upside down.
Growing tomatoes upside down involves planting the tomato plants in a container instead of outdoors in the garden. Some of the benefits of growing tomatoes upside down are that you do not need to stake the plants or support them in any way. With the plant hanging upside down, gravity takes over and the plant grows toward the ground. Also, weeds and pests will become a thing of the past. You will be growing your upside down tomatoes in weed-free composted soil and with the container suspended in the air, the pests that are inherent in outdoor gardens will not be able to make their way up to these tomato plants. If you have poor soil or don’t have the desire to grow any other types of vegetables then this may be the desired method for you. If you lack an area that receives 6 – 8 hours of sunlight per day then you will easily be able to move your container to a new location to make up for this limitation. Another benefit is that by keeping the tomato plants in containers, separated from one another, you will reduce the chance of spreading diseases if one of your plants should happen to fall victim to this fate.
The tomato plants themselves will also receive a benefit from being grown upside down as well. By being allowed to naturally grow down toward the ground, the plant structure will be less stressed and will eliminate the need to be staked or supported in any way. Rotting tomatoes will be eliminated because there will be no branches bending to the ground and allowing the tomatoes to come in contact with the soil. Growing tomato plants upside down increases the airflow in and through the plant and allows sunlight to filter through. This will allow the tomatoes to ripen faster than traditional growing methods and can help to yield a bigger and better crop of tomatoes.
If you are going to grow your tomatoes upside down the natural thought process would have you searching for a smaller variety of tomato which may be better suited to this method of growing tomatoes. Just remember that you are not limited to just the smaller varieties as many have grown larger tomatoes this way as well with great success. It all depends on what your goal may be.
Growing tomatoes upside down and growing tomatoes in containers are topics that are on the rise among gardening enthusiasts showing that these methods have a lot of merit and are really beginning to catch on. These methods offer great benefits to those that cannot enjoy a traditional garden for whatever reason. So if you don’t feel like trudging down to the garden everyday, you now have a new tomato growing method that is right for you.
