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Friday, July 15, 2011

Tomato Planter - 20 liter or 5 gallon bucket

The problem with the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter is that the tomato is planted in the drainage hole and something about water dripping down the plant causes the plant to suffer. Maybe it is the water itself or maybe the fertilizer residue in the water. I don't know, but this year I tried something different and it is working out great.

I used a 20 liter (aka 5 gallon) bucket painted to protect the plastic from UV light which makes it brittle and makes it crack easily. I painted some leaves for fun. I cut a 6 cm square hole (approximately) about 8 cm from the bottom on three sides. The fourth side I left because I hang these from my awning and one side doesn't get enough light. I drilled a few small (5 mm) holes in the bottom for drainage.

I started filling it with a good quality potting soil - I prefer SuperSoil -  just a few centimeters. Then I inserted my tomato starts, root ball first, through the holes (from the outside of the bucket). I cut a piece of filter to fit over the holes, 10 to 15 cm square. I got the filters from Home Depot, they are usually used in vent registers.  I cut a slit halfway across in the middle and slid it over the stem of each tomato start and taped it in place with duct tape (on the inside of the bucket). I added some more potting soil, mixed in some fertilizer granules, and filled it to a few centimeters from the top.

To hang it I used some leftover electrical wire and wrapped it around the bucket under the rim. I didn't want to rely on the plastic to hold the bucket handles because they can get brittle even if they are painted, especially in the desert sun here in the southwest. This particular bucket was a kitty litter container and came with a plastic handle so I made a handle from the wire and attached it to the wire I just wrapped around the bucket.  I hung it from some S-hooks and Taa-daa! All done.

Aside from an attack of tomato worms or horned caterpillars, whatever you call them; they have done very well. We didn't even get red spider mites this year, maybe because they are so high off the ground.

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