One popular way gardeners maximize on limited space is by growing vegetable plants upside down in hanging containers.

Thanks to the mad scientist experimental types, we now know that tomatoes can indeed be grown downwards (or upside down) from hanging containers quite easily.

What is Growing Tomato Plant Upside Down ?

A growing tomato plant upside down is a plant that has been turned so that the leaves and stem are pointing upward instead of downward.

This can be done for a number of reasons, such as to prevent the plant from getting too much sun, to keep the plant from getting too much water, or to make it easier to harvest the fruit.

How to Grow an Upside Down Tomato Plant ?

It’s really quite simple. You will be growing your tomato plants out of a bucket.

Most growers prefer five gallon paint buckets that can be picked up inexpensively at your local hardware store.

Step 1: Prepare the Bucket

Cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket at least 2 – 2 1/2 inches wide. Set the bucket on the ground.

Find some old newspaper or better yet a coffee filter and put it on the bottom of the bucket, over the hole. Fill the bucket with soil and place the cover over the bucket.

Now turn the bucket over so that the hole in the bottom is now on top.

Remove the coffee filter and reach in with your hand and grab enough of the soil out of the bucket to make room for the planting of a tomato seedling

Step 2 : Plant the Seeds

Gently plant the seedling in the hole and replace the soil around it, packing it in firmly.

Step 3: How to Set Bucket UpSid Down

Now place more old newspaper or a couple of coffee filters around the young plant to secure it in and prevent soil from dropping out when it is suspended upside down.

Now gently pick up the bucket and set it right-side up so that the plant is suspended upside down.

Step 4 : Set the Plant holding Structure

Remove the cover from the top of the bucket and suspend the bucket – plant arrangement on a firm hook, a firm trellis, plant support, or some other similar plant-holding structure.

Step 5 : Watering

Water the plant by simply watering the soil at the top of the bucket until you start to see a few drops coming through the 2-inch hole on the bottom.

Bravo ! You done it !

You’re done! You can now look forward to your upside-down tomato plant producing healthy, large, sweet delicious tomatoes all spring and summer.

When the tomato plants start to produce fruit, you can harvest the tomatoes as they ripen.

The 2 Best Hanging Planters For Upside Down Tomatoes

1- Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter

• Just plant it and hang it up — on a patio, balcony, terrace or tree
• No need to dig holes, use stakes or cages, tie up tomatoes or get down on your knees to pull weeds
• “Sucker” and harvest your tomatoes in a standing position
• Eliminates cutworms, ground insects, and ground fungus
• All the taste and freshness of vine ripened tomatoes without bending or getting down on your knees or even getting your hands dirty

Get Pricing Information of Topsy Turvy Planter

2- Pri Gardens Upside Down Tomato Planter

• Easy no hassle tomato and vegetable planting. Harvest at chest level, with no need to tie up vines. Less dirt and bugs compared to conventional planting and absolutely no weeds!
• Upside Down Design: Saves space and utilizes gravity to maximizes water and nutrient supply to roots.
• The Fabric material: Naturally air prunes the roots to promote healthy root growth. Allows maximum oxygen to roots. Protects against over watering and mold.
• The fabric handle makes a comfortable hold while filling, no more holding thin wires “ouch”!
• Easy to follow 4 step instructions included | Patent Pending

Get Pricing Information of Pri Gardens Planter

Grow Tomatoes Upside Down Youtube

Check the following video step by step Tutorial How to Grow tomato Upside Down on Youtube

Upside Down Tomato Bucket using Plastic Bottle

No need to buy an expensive bucket to grow your tomatoes.

Check the following Video Tutorials on How to make The best upside-down tomato buckets.

Advantages & Tips about Upside Down Hanging Tomato Plants

There are several advantages of growing an upside down tomato plant.

One advantage is that it is easier to control the watering of the plant. When the plant is upside down, the water runs off more quickly, which means that the plant will not be over-watered.

Another advantage is that it is easier to keep the plant clean. When the plant is upside down, the leaves and stems are less likely to get dirty.

Finally, an upside down tomato plant is less likely to attract pests and diseases.

Now we apartment gardeners can grow delicious tomatoes at home just like anybody else!

Added Ease and Comfort

Even tomato lovers with outdoor space have turned to this innovative method for growing tomato plants for both the added ease and comfort that it offers.

Just consider growing tomatoes upside down eliminates the need for staking and trellising. The support that tomato plants normally need as they grow taller is no longer necessary.

When growing upside down, the weight of the plant just falls naturally downwards towards the ground.

Growing tomatoes in containers also mean no more weeding!

Rather than trekking back and forth to the garden, kneeling in the dirt, and hacking away at your plant to get a few tomatoes for your salad, just walk over to your hanging container and pick the juicy tomato of your choice!

Maximize Sunlight

Gardeners who lack an area that receives the required 6 – 8 hours of sunlight needed by tomato plants to fruit, will also benefit from using an upside-down tomato planter.

Their hanging tomato plants can easily be moved from sunny spots to sunny spots throughout the day to get as much sunlight as possible.

Check the requirement for successful Tomato Growing on The Beginner Guide To Growing Hanging Tomato Plants

Save Time

Those without the time it takes to tend to a proper garden on a daily basis will benefit from the less time-intensive practice of growing tomatoes upside down in pots.

With the tomato plant neatly contained in a hanging pot, it requires much less time to take care of it.

Those with poor garden soil can also stop worrying about the laborious process of conditioning and preparing the soil to grow vibrant tomatoes.

Simply use a packet of high-quality potting soil in your hanging tomato pot and forget about it.

Less Pests

Perhaps the greatest benefit to growing tomatoes upside down in a container is that you will have less pests to deal with.

Most tomato-eating bugs will find it more difficult to get to a hanging tomato plant than when it is on the ground Additionally.

Tomato plants grown in containers are further apart from each other, reducing the spread of disease from plant to plant.

Read more about Tomato’s Pest and Diseases on The most Common 4 Growing Tomato Problems/Diseases and The Common Tomato Diseases Caused by Bacteria & Fungus

Healthier Crops

Growing tomatoes upside down are actually also beneficial for the plant itself, helping it to produce larger and healthier tomatoes, thanks to the fact that air flows more easily around the plant and branches have less stress on them as they grow.

Tomatoes grown upside down tend to ripen sooner than tomatoes are grown in a traditional garden.

Plus, because the tomatoes never actually touch the ground, you will avoid the frustrations that most tomato gardeners face when their tomatoes rot due to too much contact with the soil.

The Best Varieties for Upside Down Tomato Growers

Most tomato varieties can be successfully grown upside down, but you will find that the smaller varieties are better suited for it.

The best varieties for upside down tomato growers include: Tomato variety Cherry tomato varieties Roma Cherry tomato varieties are the best type of tomato to grow in an upside down planter. Romeos are a good variety of cherry tomato.

Also, Cherry tomatoes and Grape tomatoes make an excellent choice for upside-down growing.

When tomatoes are growing upside down, the shoots and stems are not fighting gravity.

Gravity is actually helping the plants to grow so the stems grow stronger and healthier as a result.
There is improved air circulation around the plant which also encourages growth.

You may also consider using Organic Tomato’s Seeds. Check our selection for the Best 5 Tomato Organic Seeds: Features and Review: Features and Review.

In Conclusion

If you live in a small apartment or have limited outdoor space – don’t despair!

You can have your tomato plant and eat it too! Growing an upside-down tomato garden can be just – if not more – rewarding than a traditional one.