I know that deer don't eat marigolds so that's why I can safely plant them in my garden. But it would be good to know if they can actually help prevent the diseases that tomatoes are susceptible to!
I watched an elderly man at home do this once. He put a circular piece of foam in the bottom, like those mattress foam toppers, and he cut a slice in it to fit the stem through. The foam absorbed the water and didn’t leak out the bottom. He actually put the plant in first and then the foam around the stem. Then the soil.....his plants were always amazing.
I drill 3" hole in my bottom and then use a pool noodle, fits snuggly around stem and hole in bucket. lets more than 75% of the water to stay in bucket and I have a hog pen under my bucket for the vine to latch onto and spread right to left....works like a charm and looks awesome if you paint the buckets for a custom look
Take a drink every time he says "worter"! James we love you and these are great tips. I finally have an enclosed garden this year going to try the inverted and regular styles using cherry tomatoes side-by-side with the same conditions to see what the difference is. Looking forward to the results!
My husband used 2 liter soda bottles to grow tomatoes upside down. He had a lot of fun doing it! Another awesome video. thank you James and Tuck!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Great experiment if you haven't tried it before. One tip: when placing the plant through the hole, first wrap the leaves and stem in a sheet of paper or use the centre of a cut paper towel tube then pass it through the hole. This method reduces damage to the leaves and keeps the stem straight. Good luck James, I look forward to the next one 🙃🌱☀️
I noticed 3 years ago a tiny tomato coming up I didn't plant. So I decided to let it grow. This turned into a monster and in the fall it was loaded with sunkist I think..smaller yellow salad tomatoes. They are still coming up every spring all around my yard. I've never had such a sweet tasting gift from mother nature before.
wow - that was such great timing......i planted a dwarf tomato plant upside down in a bucket yesterday - had not even thought about getting it to grow back UP (and i guess since i planted a dwarf variety - i shouldnt need to do that anyway). My solution for keeping the soil and nutrients in the bucket with the plant - was a paper coffee filter. Used the coffee filter like a bit of a cone collar around the stem to keep soil in the pot at the hole area and catch or retain the nutrients in the water around the root base. LOVE watching your harvest shows. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.
landscape fabric and coco coir on the bottom of bucket. Those 2 will hold moisture more so less runoff. Use a auto water bulb. so it goes slow in watering.
Great experiment! But why plant it upside down besides the fun factor? If you hang a bucket with a tomato planted in the top, the weight will still pull the plant down, and you could still train it down strings. You'd still lose some water from drainage, but if you put the holes on the side about an inch from the bottom, excess would still drain out with a little reservoir for when more moisture is needed. Maybe next year do both and compare techniques?
I thought the same, I thought it could be handy for space saving or so but if you put the bucket on the ground it's basically the same space occupied but that grows better. James enlighten us! :)
1. Saves space/doubles your growing space at least as van grow below on the ground also. 2. Pests slugs etc cant access the plant from the ground. 3. Allows more to be grown in one a small space generally I saw this done by s guy in Alaska few years back in a polytunnel and with other plants aswell 👍🏴🇬🇧
My garden is infested with jumping worms that are destroying my soil. I'm trying to think of alternative ways to grow veggies. Something like this could work, as long as the potting mix isn't also contaminated with them.
It's not a bad idea for folks that just have a balcony or limited space. I've also seen people plant herbs in the top of their upside down tomato bucket
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of gardening! It's also wonderful to see you are loving and attentive to Tuck's need for water and shade as needed. I have a patio and have started my first container garden. My space is limited so I like the idea of how you grow tomatoes vertically.
Seen this before actually, It's good idea as 1. Saves space/doubles your growing space at least as van grow below on the ground also. 2. Pests slugs etc cant access the plant from the ground. 3. Allows more to be grown in one a small space generally I saw this done by s guy in Alaska few years back in a poly-tunnel and with other plants aswell like strawberrys etc can use plastic drink bottles hung up save money and space one plant per container Also if you were to put a mesh or material across the hole once the plant is through, you'll limit water draining out that pipe idea looks like might work ok though aswell cheers from London England 👍😎🏴🇬🇧
The novelty of the upside down tomato is a lot of fun and a great talking point with friends and family. James does a superb job of best techniques to grow them. I grew 4 upside down buckets with husky cherry tomatoes this summer. It was a success although ones grown in the top of the buckets outperformed them. Issues I had were:. 1. When initially planted the water along with soil soaked the underside of the leaves stressing the plants. 2. Wind damage to vines if not secured. I actually used bamboo stakes out the bottom which helped a lot 3. With the long heat wave this summer in zone 7a the plants required water 2 sometimes 3 times a day. Irrigation on a timer would have helped. 4. Buckets on the ground are much easier to move around. James idea to put a pipe stub in bottom is a great idea. Thank you James and Tuck for all of the continuing education and inspiration. My dog's fav snack is now snap peas :)
On your modification- another thing you could do is place a ring of plastic solo cups along the bottom of the bucket with no holes, you could even put some slow release fertilizer in each cup. The cups would fill up with water and the overflow would just fertilize the plant at the same time. Each cup would act as a mini reservoir of water and fertilizer.
Love your channel James. I learn so many useful tips and you inspire me to keep growing. A couple of years ago I planted a hanging basket with 1 Tumbler tomato plant, 2 potato vine, 1 red geranium for the centre, and 2 purple petunias. The result was amazing. The tumbler tomato produced many delicious fruits and as I hung it in front of a second story patio door I was able to pick tomatoes right from my kitchen. Also it was easy to water and the humming birds went crazy over the flowers . A friend bought me one of your grow t shirts as a gift. I love that too, it’s cool in the hot summer and washes very well. Thank you for your videos.
Erica from Sweden Göteborg here. I have no garden of my own just a city balcony packed with flowers and some eatables. I'm kind of shity when it comes to plants. I forget to water. I plant to much or too little or i get pests out of control but I try and try again. I love your devotion and excitement about your garden. My dad has a very large garden that is neglected. I showed him some of your videos to get him interested. I just love walking in his garden and fix with the plants. There are only perennials left now. The ones that survives on their own. I would soooo much love to make a food forest here. But a bit difficult because I live in another city. I have today been "cloning" some of the perennials that are about to die to save them by making new ones. Watched a bunch of videos about how to do it. Found your videos also. And I love them! Love your energy. Thank you!
What if you put a layer or medium-density, landscape fabric, cut to fit the bottom of the bucket, with a cross-hatch cut into the center over the bucket whole? That way, it will prevent all of the soil from escaping, as well as the water, but leave space for the plant stem to widen as it grows.
My first year gardening I grew Chadwick cherry tomatoes upside down, but my tomatoes were hanging on my balcony and I had to get on a ladder every day to rotate the bag and water the tomatoes. I always got drenched by the water that would fall out the bottom. If I ever did this again I would put an Olla inside the bucket to catch and retain the water. I would also use a 360 degree rotating hook so I wouldn’t have to keep lifting the heavy plant to rotate it (to prevent sun scorch and to make sure the whole plant got light because this thing grew like crazy in all directions). Thanks for sharing your experiment.
I do this all the time and use a fabric on the bottom of the bucket to keep the soil from draining out you can also cut holes in the sides of the bucket and grow other plants like squash, beans or other companion plants.
James and tuck the king and boss of gardening. Your intelligence and innovative thinking inspires me so much! Thank you for everything you teach and the love you spread contagiously. Bless 🙏
This method is going to be great for me to use when I move to a new place soon and want to start planting a garden right away but might not be able to dig one into the ground because I don't know what I will have for gardening. I imagine I would be able to use these buckets to grow a few types of veggies and when I find my permanent place with a yard I can integrate the buckets into the regular garden. Thanks for this idea. I knew about it but you problem solved it so we can build these and succeed. For me this will be a transition garden method until I am able to start a garden in the ground.
I love all the information you provide for us and we are starting to plan out our garden for spring next year. One thing I would love is a video on where you get your seeds from and more on how to prune certain plants for maximum growth, like tomatoes or grapes.
James,I just watched another ypu tuber grow grafted tomato on a potato plant. It was.fascinating. You might want to try it. Also, you can get a 2.ft.piece of cut 2" pvc at home depot. They have a.display across from the pvc pipe. I used it in my soap making business. If you want to keep the plant hole 2".At the end, he made ketchup and fries from both homegrown fruit.
This looks like so much fun! James, just thinking ahead … would you please be kind enough to let us know when your last video of the season posts? You and Tuck certainly deserve the down time, but I don’t think I’m the only one who was worried last year when you suddenly stopped posting.
Very very cool experiment! Love the Super Sweet 100 variety. I planted a YELLOW hybrid this year and it's plentiful! I would throw a few basil seeds up top for fun!
You are right about drying out each day. I went a little crazy and planted chocolate cherry, large cherry and a Rutgers. My Topsy-turvy is the same concept with 4 holes out the side and drains at the bottom. I am watering with liquid fertilizer and adding slow release every week. I didn't train any downward though. It's fruiting well but not ripening yet in zone 5. I hope the wilting in the heat hasn't affected it to badly since the weather has cooled now. I received this Topsy-turvy several years ago but finally set it up because of you. Love to you and Tuck.
Interesting to see others do things, I have done this a few times, but personally, I prefer to grow as they normally grow, upright and full of fruit, too much lost of water for our hot weather.
Wow, it's amazing how many things I learned just from this video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge James and Tuck! I can't wait to try this out myself.
I did this with tomatoes and round eggplant and they did very well. It was very easy to harvest. I did also drill some 1/4" holes for drainage which dispersed the water. I used free 5 gallon buckets from a bakery and had one handle break so drilled additional holes near the top to ad strip ties. Bakery buckets are not intended for long term use but they are free.
A gentleman had huge tomatoes 🍅 on his vines from Paola KS. Reg size tomatoes 🍅. He put his bucket on the clothes line. Article was in the local newspaper The Western Spirit.or Miami County Republican. .
Greetings from Arizona zone 9b! great concept! we place our containers on the ground where we are going to plant future plants. we also attract worms where the water drains with all the nutrients. thanks for the tips and tricks. hanging plants struggle here in the dry wind of the desert. we absolutely don't want to give up, we want to keep practicing what WILL work for us. I'm looking forward to your future updates! cheers 🍷
Very good and thorough video! Thanks. I have a suggestion. I think that the drip irrigation method will work best with this setup. You can easily make a drip mechanism from a water bottle. In this way, the soil will have the time to absorb the water thoroughly and there will be far less water leakage from the bottom of the bucket.
You can do that with many vegetables. I usually have some beans growning from the top of my deck, they grow up, over the top rail and down towards the ground. I use a type of Carolina Pole Lima that gets 11 to 14 ft. So it grows down 11ft or so. Perfect for me. It does take a ladder to pick some of them. What you do is outstanding.
Next Season- I'm going to try "wicking bucket" style upside down containers. With maybe a large coffee can glue up inside the bottom hole that the plant will hang down from. SNAP just I'm typing you say basically the same thing ❤️😛😁
Great idea. Might be a good idea to also try to layer some leaves 🍃 first, soil etc. So it's also in thr first later and might help keep the moisture in
If it gets hot and dry again next season, maybe you could distract/divert the critters from your produce by providing them with their own water sources of various kinds throughout the garden.
I can only grow in containers where I live right now and the super sweet 100 is something I grow every year. It is always my largest plant and is always my top producer. I only usually grow 2 plants and I get gallons of tomatoes from it. I can't believe I never thought to put trays under my containers. I am definitely going to try that next year.
I think you should do one other thing and that is when the plant starts growing upward string them all of the limbs upward don’t let any of them go to the ground this way you reduce any moisture on any leaves and and the excess water through the vines will be absorbed because as you know the hairs on the vines are little roots they will help absorb the moisture that’s leaking out the bottom I would also put a drip irrigation system So that water would be fed into the bucket without you having to refill it all the time just a suggestion love your program great stuff
in about 2010 I grew an upside down tomato in the "Topsy Turvy Tomato" plastic bag commercially available container on my back deck. Got about 5 tomatoes off of it but I did not think it was easy and it was pretty messy. Just my opinion. I think it is better to grow vertically from the bottom up and not vice-versa. An exception would be if in a bowl planter or basket planter on a wooden column pole.
Absolutely amazing. The pvc pipe attachment is so smart. Thank you for all the help you’ve given me. This was my first grow season and I’ve made some mistakes that you’ll help me correct for next year. You’re the man.
We snagged some pots and 2 of them just happened to have raised centers where the holes are, there was a cross barring each hole, plastic pots so easy to cut the crosses out. So we've already got our trenches built into the pots.
For a couple of years, this was a really popular and fun way to grow tomatoes. People grew them on their back porches and hooked them onto the ceiling. I tried it but did not have much success.
So I realized there was a lot of room on my patio cover. So too a 15 gallon black nursery pot stuck 2 plants out of 2 of the drain holes then I fill it with soil and put it up on the patio roof near the edge and hooked a drip line and adjust the flow so that it would stop around the time the first few drops of water started to come out the bottom. I use seeds from a capri tomato I bought at Costco. I got an unbelievable amount of tomatoes.
Jim, what about a coconut lined hanging basket, but not upside down? I also have a very wide, tall trellis on the east wall of my house. The flowering vine that is on it is a waste of time, not growing good. Would that be a good spot for chocolate cherry tomato?
This was great. Have you already planted your fall/winter crops (I might have missed it). If you haven’t, will you do a fall/winter vegetable garden you could tell us all about?
I have a remedy.... Make two holes the one you made and a second smaller hole to drain the water into a container wrap a bunch of bubble wrap around the vine to prevent water from dripping down the vine. Kind of like a seal. Then in the smaller hole like you constructed, attach a Tube (sealed ) that drains the water in an appropriate container hanging from the large bucket. Then you can recycle the nutrient rich water back into the bucket.
You should have used a foam collar that you can get from a hydroponic store to put around the stem of the plant where it comes out of the hole. It would've kept less water from spilling out.
I filled up my garden bed with garlic last fall, so I'm short on growing space. I plan growing tomatoes with this method. I like the idea of the custom hole extension. Does it require a 5 gallon bucket or could you get away with a 2 gallon bucket? I also plan on planting marigolds or something on the top side of the bucket to help protect the soil and encourage pollinators.
To avoid water leaking make the holes on the side 2-3 inches from the bottom and You can That way put 2 or 3 plants in same container does not need to be bucket, can be box or stock plus You can utilize the top part by growing something and the space under the plant is also free for some shade loving plants ~ This is ultimately hanging gardens not only for tomatoes, also Peppers, berry's....
Very cool! This is my first year gardening and my tomatoes are really the only thing doing well except where the main stem meets the ground it looks almost, mushy? Any ideas?
Great and interesting video but I have a question and suggestion. after the season dig carefully into the bucket to notice which way the roots are growing. Did they stretch toward the sun and the top of the bucket or did they bend and grow down toward the earth? I ask because it would seem to me that if the roots are all gathered at the bottom of the bucket your idea to create a reservoir there might be too much water for the roots. Just a thought.
Consider training the bottom part into a drip loop, prune the side shoots for the first 12 inches of stem or so, train down and then up and to the side a bit. Train along a fence top or horizontal structure. Consider placing a less susceptible plant directly beneath the bucket that would benefit from any excess water and fertilizer that leaches out with it. Perhaps an herb like oregano or basil?
This is really awesome James! I had an old UTZ pub mix container that I ran through the washer and made one of these with. I'm going to give it a shot next year with an Orange Hat tomato, of course I'll use Happy Frog soil and Mykos. Check into Bigfoot Mycorrhizae it has added stuff like kelp meal and worm castings w/ the Mykos. Love the crazy vids like this!
James you are simply just so entertaining you make growing such fun . This could be a wonderful way for people to grow who who have no growing space ,people with issues bending and people prohibited by landlords from growing in the ground.i cannot bend after an accident but I have trees I could hang buckets from .could holes be drilled say 3 or 4 inches down from the top of the bucket and pieces of pool noodle or foam be inserted into those holes then the plants be passed through the pool noodle collar into the soil ?leaving the plants to grow out the side of the bucket downwards . Or would moisture cause the stems to rot ? S
Only issue I have with this video is when you say we can see all the peaches in the tree but never showed us any, it may be better not to say that if your not going to show them to offset any disappoint that might arise from not seeing them...just saying aside from that fantastic learning video as usual and still gets a thumbs up. Keep Tucking and Rolling your enthusiasm is infectious!🤲Also wondering if some sort of sponge wrapped to the stem in bottom of bucket would hold the water or possibly introducing drip irrigation into bucket on a timer so as to satisfy plant thirst and not overwhelm bucket with a large quantity of water at once?
James I'd recommend changing your watering method to fix the flushing out the bottom. The slower the better so use something like a foliar sprayer and add a wetting agent. Something like yucca or the Q from BuildASoil will really make a difference
very nice and fun experiment, i think cherry tomato was perfect choice as a larger tomato may have more blossom end rot issues, keeping the roots cool on hot summer days sounds like be biggest challenge but thats same for any tomato in a pot. :)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I did this once! Worked great with cherry tomatoes. I planted some marigolds in the top of the bucket too.
Let's Gooo, yeah it was fun!
Good idea putting Marigolds in the top of the bucket 👍🌱
Another great idea for next year's growing season! Thanks! 🙂💜
Does marigold help with pest protection? I remember hearing something like that.
I know that deer don't eat marigolds so that's why I can safely plant them in my garden. But it would be good to know if they can actually help prevent the diseases that tomatoes are susceptible to!
I watched an elderly man at home do this once. He put a circular piece of foam in the bottom, like those mattress foam toppers, and he cut a slice in it to fit the stem through. The foam absorbed the water and didn’t leak out the bottom. He actually put the plant in first and then the foam around the stem. Then the soil.....his plants were always amazing.
I use the Dollar Tree version of Shamwow. (The orange cloth) You could probably cut ot a piece of sponge also.
I drill 3" hole in my bottom and then use a pool noodle, fits snuggly around stem and hole in bucket. lets more than 75% of the water to stay in bucket and I have a hog pen under my bucket for the vine to latch onto and spread right to left....works like a charm and looks awesome if you paint the buckets for a custom look
Take a drink every time he says "worter"! James we love you and these are great tips. I finally have an enclosed garden this year going to try the inverted and regular styles using cherry tomatoes side-by-side with the same conditions to see what the difference is. Looking forward to the results!
My husband used 2 liter soda bottles to grow tomatoes upside down. He had a lot of fun doing it! Another awesome video. thank you James and Tuck!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Great experiment if you haven't tried it before. One tip: when placing the plant through the hole, first wrap the leaves and stem in a sheet of paper or use the centre of a cut paper towel tube then pass it through the hole. This method reduces damage to the leaves and keeps the stem straight. Good luck James, I look forward to the next one 🙃🌱☀️
I noticed 3 years ago a tiny tomato coming up I didn't plant. So I decided to let it grow. This turned into a monster and in the fall it was loaded with sunkist I think..smaller yellow salad tomatoes. They are still coming up every spring all around my yard. I've never had such a sweet tasting gift from mother nature before.
wow - that was such great timing......i planted a dwarf tomato plant upside down in a bucket yesterday - had not even thought about getting it to grow back UP (and i guess since i planted a dwarf variety - i shouldnt need to do that anyway). My solution for keeping the soil and nutrients in the bucket with the plant - was a paper coffee filter. Used the coffee filter like a bit of a cone collar around the stem to keep soil in the pot at the hole area and catch or retain the nutrients in the water around the root base. LOVE watching your harvest shows. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.
landscape fabric and coco coir on the bottom of bucket. Those 2 will hold moisture more so less runoff. Use a auto water bulb. so it goes slow in watering.
It's december now, but I ordered a variety of 13 organic tomatoes. I asked my neigbours to donate some buckets. Can't wait till spring!
Great experiment! But why plant it upside down besides the fun factor? If you hang a bucket with a tomato planted in the top, the weight will still pull the plant down, and you could still train it down strings. You'd still lose some water from drainage, but if you put the holes on the side about an inch from the bottom, excess would still drain out with a little reservoir for when more moisture is needed. Maybe next year do both and compare techniques?
I thought the same, I thought it could be handy for space saving or so but if you put the bucket on the ground it's basically the same space occupied but that grows better. James enlighten us! :)
1. Saves space/doubles your growing space at least as van grow below on the ground also.
2. Pests slugs etc cant access the plant from the ground.
3. Allows more to be grown in one a small space generally
I saw this done by s guy in Alaska few years back in a polytunnel and with other plants aswell 👍🏴🇬🇧
My garden is infested with jumping worms that are destroying my soil. I'm trying to think of alternative ways to grow veggies. Something like this could work, as long as the potting mix isn't also contaminated with them.
The only real benefit that I could think of is that with planting upside down the nutrients are flushed towards the root ball not out of it
It's not a bad idea for folks that just have a balcony or limited space. I've also seen people plant herbs in the top of their upside down tomato bucket
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of gardening! It's also wonderful to see you are loving and attentive to Tuck's need for water and shade as needed. I have a patio and have started my first container garden. My space is limited so I like the idea of how you grow tomatoes vertically.
Seen this before actually,
It's good idea as
1. Saves space/doubles your growing space at least as van grow below on the ground also.
2. Pests slugs etc cant access the plant from the ground.
3. Allows more to be grown in one a small space generally
I saw this done by s guy in Alaska few years back in a poly-tunnel and with other plants aswell like strawberrys etc can use plastic drink bottles hung up save money and space one plant per container
Also if you were to put a mesh or material across the hole once the plant is through, you'll limit water draining out that pipe idea looks like might work ok though aswell cheers from London England 👍😎🏴🇬🇧
The novelty of the upside down tomato is a lot of fun and a great talking point with friends and family. James does a superb job of best techniques to grow them. I grew 4 upside down buckets with husky cherry tomatoes this summer. It was a success although ones grown in the top of the buckets outperformed them. Issues I had were:. 1. When initially planted the water along with soil soaked the underside of the leaves stressing the plants. 2. Wind damage to vines if not secured. I actually used bamboo stakes out the bottom which helped a lot 3. With the long heat wave this summer in zone 7a the plants required water 2 sometimes 3 times a day. Irrigation on a timer would have helped. 4. Buckets on the ground are much easier to move around. James idea to put a pipe stub in bottom is a great idea. Thank you James and Tuck for all of the continuing education and inspiration. My dog's fav snack is now snap peas :)
On your modification- another thing you could do is place a ring of plastic solo cups along the bottom of the bucket with no holes, you could even put some slow release fertilizer in each cup. The cups would fill up with water and the overflow would just fertilize the plant at the same time. Each cup would act as a mini reservoir of water and fertilizer.
Love your channel James. I learn so many useful tips and you inspire me to keep growing.
A couple of years ago I planted a hanging basket with 1 Tumbler tomato plant, 2 potato vine, 1 red geranium for the centre, and 2 purple petunias. The result was amazing. The tumbler tomato produced many delicious fruits and as I hung it in front of a second story patio door I was able to pick tomatoes right from my kitchen.
Also it was easy to water and the humming birds went crazy over the flowers .
A friend bought me one of your grow t shirts as a gift. I love that too, it’s cool in the hot summer and washes very well. Thank you for your videos.
Erica from Sweden Göteborg here. I have no garden of my own just a city balcony packed with flowers and some eatables. I'm kind of shity when it comes to plants. I forget to water. I plant to much or too little or i get pests out of control but I try and try again. I love your devotion and excitement about your garden. My dad has a very large garden that is neglected. I showed him some of your videos to get him interested. I just love walking in his garden and fix with the plants. There are only perennials left now. The ones that survives on their own. I would soooo much love to make a food forest here. But a bit difficult because I live in another city. I have today been "cloning" some of the perennials that are about to die to save them by making new ones. Watched a bunch of videos about how to do it. Found your videos also. And I love them! Love your energy. Thank you!
Awesome & great tips for hanging upside down tomato plant! Thanks for sharing friend! Happy gardening!
What if you put a layer or medium-density, landscape fabric, cut to fit the bottom of the bucket, with a cross-hatch cut into the center over the bucket whole? That way, it will prevent all of the soil from escaping, as well as the water, but leave space for the plant stem to widen as it grows.
Landscape fabric is truly horrible and emits infinite microplastics. Please never use them
My first year gardening I grew Chadwick cherry tomatoes upside down, but my tomatoes were hanging on my balcony and I had to get on a ladder every day to rotate the bag and water the tomatoes. I always got drenched by the water that would fall out the bottom. If I ever did this again I would put an Olla inside the bucket to catch and retain the water. I would also use a 360 degree rotating hook so I wouldn’t have to keep lifting the heavy plant to rotate it (to prevent sun scorch and to make sure the whole plant got light because this thing grew like crazy in all directions). Thanks for sharing your experiment.
I do this all the time and use a fabric on the bottom of the bucket to keep the soil from draining out you can also cut holes in the sides of the bucket and grow other plants like squash, beans or other companion plants.
Landscape fabric is almost always plastic, dropping an infinite amount of cancerous particles. Highly recommend newspaper or anything else
@@paperm2023 we used a couple unbleached paper coffee filters.
James and tuck the king and boss of gardening. Your intelligence and innovative thinking inspires me so much! Thank you for everything you teach and the love you spread contagiously. Bless 🙏
This method is going to be great for me to use when I move to a new place soon and want to start planting a garden right away but might not be able to dig one into the ground because I don't know what I will have for gardening. I imagine I would be able to use these buckets to grow a few types of veggies and when I find my permanent place with a yard I can integrate the buckets into the regular garden. Thanks for this idea. I knew about it but you problem solved it so we can build these and succeed. For me this will be a transition garden method until I am able to start a garden in the ground.
I love all the information you provide for us and we are starting to plan out our garden for spring next year. One thing I would love is a video on where you get your seeds from and more on how to prune certain plants for maximum growth, like tomatoes or grapes.
James,I just watched another ypu tuber grow grafted tomato on a potato plant. It was.fascinating. You might want to try it. Also, you can get a 2.ft.piece of cut 2" pvc at home depot. They have a.display across from the pvc pipe. I used it in my soap making business. If you want to keep the plant hole 2".At the end, he made ketchup and fries from both homegrown fruit.
This looks like so much fun!
James, just thinking ahead … would you please be kind enough to let us know when your last video of the season posts? You and Tuck certainly deserve the down time, but I don’t think I’m the only one who was worried last year when you suddenly stopped posting.
Very very cool experiment! Love the Super Sweet 100 variety. I planted a YELLOW hybrid this year and it's plentiful! I would throw a few basil seeds up top for fun!
You are right about drying out each day. I went a little crazy and planted chocolate cherry, large cherry and a Rutgers. My Topsy-turvy is the same concept with 4 holes out the side and drains at the bottom. I am watering with liquid fertilizer and adding slow release every week. I didn't train any downward though. It's fruiting well but not ripening yet in zone 5. I hope the wilting in the heat hasn't affected it to badly since the weather has cooled now. I received this Topsy-turvy several years ago but finally set it up because of you. Love to you and Tuck.
We’ve sometimes done this for fun and for many years. They sell bags for this but I’m glad to see this done with a bucket. Good idea
Your enthusiasm is intoxicating and I enjoy it. You’re truly inspiring
Interesting to see others do things, I have done this a few times, but personally, I prefer to grow as they normally grow, upright and full of fruit, too much lost of water for our hot weather.
Wow, it's amazing how many things I learned just from this video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge James and Tuck! I can't wait to try this out myself.
I did this with tomatoes and round eggplant and they did very well. It was very easy to harvest. I did also drill some 1/4" holes for drainage which dispersed the water. I used free 5 gallon buckets from a bakery and had one handle break so drilled additional holes near the top to ad strip ties. Bakery buckets are not intended for long term use but they are free.
I did this for 2 years to maximize space when I had an apartment with a balcony. It also works for peppers, eggplant, cucumber, & zucchini.
oh really
A gentleman had huge tomatoes 🍅 on his vines from Paola KS. Reg size tomatoes 🍅. He put his bucket on the clothes line. Article was in the local newspaper The Western Spirit.or Miami County Republican. .
Oh, I wanted to say I’m very very impressed with your gardening skills, know how, and harvests! Great job.
So much fun, James !! Gardening variety is more exciting & we learn and grow !! 🍅💙🫑💙🥕
Great info & yes each growing season we should learn something new ao good job and ty for sharing.
Hi Tucker! This was amazing! Such a cool crazy idea!
Greetings from Arizona zone 9b! great concept! we place our containers on the ground where we are going to plant future plants. we also attract worms where the water drains with all the nutrients. thanks for the tips and tricks. hanging plants struggle here in the dry wind of the desert. we absolutely don't want to give up, we want to keep practicing what WILL work for us. I'm looking forward to your future updates! cheers 🍷
Greeting from fellow gardener Az 9a. Just subscribed to your channel.
Very good and thorough video! Thanks.
I have a suggestion. I think that the drip irrigation method will work best with this setup. You can easily make a drip mechanism from a water bottle. In this way, the soil will have the time to absorb the water thoroughly and there will be far less water leakage from the bottom of the bucket.
You can do that with many vegetables. I usually have some beans growning from the top of my deck, they grow up, over the top rail and down towards the ground. I use a type of Carolina Pole Lima that gets 11 to 14 ft. So it grows down 11ft or so. Perfect for me. It does take a ladder to pick some of them.
What you do is outstanding.
You definitely are a true gardener ❤️ I too, experiment often 😉 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Next Season- I'm going to try "wicking bucket" style upside down containers. With maybe a large coffee can glue up inside the bottom hole that the plant will hang down from. SNAP just I'm typing you say basically the same thing ❤️😛😁
Great idea. Might be a good idea to also try to layer some leaves 🍃 first, soil etc. So it's also in thr first later and might help keep the moisture in
So great to use recycled plastics! I did this but with soda and juice bottles. Smaller yields, but lots of fun to watch grow - and eat!!❤️💯🙏🏽🥰😛 🍅
If it gets hot and dry again next season, maybe you could distract/divert the critters from your produce by providing them with their own water sources of various kinds throughout the garden.
Love those Jersey tomatoes! Nothing’s better than Garden State produce! Stay hydrated! ✌🏻❤️🍅🐶
Yeeeesss! I always love a new James Prigioni video! ❤️❤️❤️❤️s for the boss, Tuck!
Let's Gooo Hillary! This was a fun one, several months in the making
Great idea about the PVC pipe in the bottom. I tried it once but had a hard time keeping it watered. I may try this next year.
Wow! I love your videos and ideas... my tomatoes plants just grow and grow but not tomatoes 😅 I'm going to try to grow tomatoes upside down now 👍
I can only grow in containers where I live right now and the super sweet 100 is something I grow every year. It is always my largest plant and is always my top producer. I only usually grow 2 plants and I get gallons of tomatoes from it. I can't believe I never thought to put trays under my containers. I am definitely going to try that next year.
This is genius! Love it. Got my seedlings growing in my grow lights now, cherry version too.. I will have to try this.
I think you should do one other thing and that is when the plant starts growing upward string them all of the limbs upward don’t let any of them go to the ground this way you reduce any moisture on any leaves and and the excess water through the vines will be absorbed because as you know the hairs on the vines are little roots they will help absorb the moisture that’s leaking out the bottom I would also put a drip irrigation system So that water would be fed into the bucket without you having to refill it all the time just a suggestion love your program great stuff
Just wanted to say that I love your channel. I found it within the past year and it has become a go-to for me.
I did this with a grape tomato this season. I put a trellis under mine because I needed the extra support. I got great results.
This is the kind of experiments that bring up new ways of doing things! Success and failures are both beneficial…thanks.
You’re awesome, James. Thank you for all of your energy and knowledge!
in about 2010 I grew an upside down tomato in the "Topsy Turvy Tomato" plastic bag commercially available container on my back deck. Got about 5 tomatoes off of it but I did not think it was easy and it was pretty messy. Just my opinion. I think it is better to grow vertically from the bottom up and not vice-versa. An exception would be if in a bowl planter or basket planter on a wooden column pole.
I do that with my tomatoes too! Fun way to amaze your friends and family!!!
Absolutely amazing. The pvc pipe attachment is so smart.
Thank you for all the help you’ve given me. This was my first grow season and I’ve made some mistakes that you’ll help me correct for next year.
You’re the man.
We snagged some pots and 2 of them just happened to have raised centers where the holes are, there was a cross barring each hole, plastic pots so easy to cut the crosses out. So we've already got our trenches built into the pots.
For a couple of years, this was a really popular and fun way to grow tomatoes. People grew them on their back porches and hooked them onto the ceiling. I tried it but did not have much success.
I will give this type of growing tomatoes a try. Thanks! 🙂💜
So I realized there was a lot of room on my patio cover. So too a 15 gallon black nursery pot stuck 2 plants out of 2 of the drain holes then I fill it with soil and put it up on the patio roof near the edge and hooked a drip line and adjust the flow so that it would stop around the time the first few drops of water started to come out the bottom. I use seeds from a capri tomato I bought at Costco. I got an unbelievable amount of tomatoes.
James I will try one you always give us new ideas 😃 I love it looks good thanks for sharing you and tuck
This is amazing. I truly enjoyed this video. I have to try this. I loved your instruction. Merci beaucoup.
Yes, what a fun experience. Eating right from the garden is so rewarding. I favor tomatoes and sugar peas.
Jim, what about a coconut lined hanging basket, but not upside down? I also have a very wide, tall trellis on the east wall of my house. The flowering vine that is on it is a waste of time, not growing good. Would that be a good spot for chocolate cherry tomato?
Love the creativity and possibilities of growing in buckets, thanks for the inspirations
Very cool idea. Enjoy the fun you have with all of this.
I appreciate the helpful comments and additional suggestions from this community, Thanks Everyone!
Wow! I am going to try this next year. Thanks James, that is awsome.love Tuck soo 😍 you guys stay safe..tita Lo,TX
This was great. Have you already planted your fall/winter crops (I might have missed it). If you haven’t, will you do a fall/winter vegetable garden you could tell us all about?
It looks like you had so much fun doing this !! I love your energy 🤣
Thanks Judy! It was a blast, worked out bette than I thought it would
What a superb video on this experiment! It can be tough watching ‘Experimental’ clips on YT but this was great! Thank you.💪🏽
I have a remedy.... Make two holes the one you made and a second smaller hole to drain the water into a container wrap a bunch of bubble wrap around the vine to prevent water from dripping down the vine. Kind of like a seal. Then in the smaller hole like you constructed, attach a Tube (sealed ) that drains the water in an appropriate container hanging from the large bucket. Then you can recycle the nutrient rich water back into the bucket.
You should have used a foam collar that you can get from a hydroponic store to put around the stem of the plant where it comes out of the hole. It would've kept less water from spilling out.
Dollar Tree Pool Noodles.
You can slow the water flow from the bucket by putting a water bottle inside, with a few holes in it, so that the water slowly leaks into the soil.
I filled up my garden bed with garlic last fall, so I'm short on growing space. I plan growing tomatoes with this method. I like the idea of the custom hole extension. Does it require a 5 gallon bucket or could you get away with a 2 gallon bucket? I also plan on planting marigolds or something on the top side of the bucket to help protect the soil and encourage pollinators.
Your energy always makes me smile. 💪🏼🤩 love your videos. Thank you.
To avoid water leaking make the holes on the side 2-3 inches from the bottom and You can That way put 2 or 3 plants in same container does not need to be bucket, can be box or stock plus You can utilize the top part by growing something and the space under the plant is also free for some shade loving plants ~ This is ultimately hanging gardens not only for tomatoes, also Peppers, berry's....
Hang in there Tuck those carrots will be ready soon!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Crazy good for people in apartments I wonder what else you can grow like this
Also Amazon sells smaller bags of happy frog soil for like $18 and you can poke holes in solo cups to grow them in, they only get 6-9 inches tall
But they produce a bounty
Very cool! This is my first year gardening and my tomatoes are really the only thing doing well except where the main stem meets the ground it looks almost, mushy? Any ideas?
Love your channel. Just the love for gardening you have is awesome
Great and interesting video but I have a question and suggestion. after the season dig carefully into the bucket to notice which way the roots are growing. Did they stretch toward the sun and the top of the bucket or did they bend and grow down toward the earth? I ask because it would seem to me that if the roots are all gathered at the bottom of the bucket your idea to create a reservoir there might be too much water for the roots. Just a thought.
Let's go!!!! Hello James and Tuck ❤️🍅
When transplanting I would use an old DVD disc with a slit & slightly bigger hole in the center to prevent soil & water from escaping.
I love this and going to try it but possibly use an olla inside the bucket to see if it helps with the watering issue
Consider training the bottom part into a drip loop, prune the side shoots for the first 12 inches of stem or so, train down and then up and to the side a bit. Train along a fence top or horizontal structure. Consider placing a less susceptible plant directly beneath the bucket that would benefit from any excess water and fertilizer that leaches out with it. Perhaps an herb like oregano or basil?
This is really awesome James! I had an old UTZ pub mix container that I ran through the washer and made one of these with. I'm going to give it a shot next year with an Orange Hat tomato, of course I'll use Happy Frog soil and Mykos. Check into Bigfoot Mycorrhizae it has added stuff like kelp meal and worm castings w/ the Mykos. Love the crazy vids like this!
@Mommadukes the one by Fox Farm!
That’s a great idea, I find buckets all over the place along the highway.
James you are simply just so entertaining you make growing such fun .
This could be a wonderful way for people to grow who who have no growing space ,people with issues bending and people prohibited by landlords from growing in the ground.i cannot bend after an accident but I have trees I could hang buckets from .could holes be drilled say 3 or 4 inches down from the top of the bucket and pieces of pool noodle or foam be inserted into those holes then the plants be passed through the pool noodle collar into the soil ?leaving the plants to grow out the side of the bucket downwards . Or would moisture cause the stems to rot ? S
Great job I remember seeing an advertisement on TV years ago about the topsy turvy tomato planter ...
Only issue I have with this video is when you say we can see all the peaches in the tree but never showed us any, it may be better not to say that if your not going to show them to offset any disappoint that might arise from not seeing them...just saying aside from that fantastic learning video as usual and still gets a thumbs up. Keep Tucking and Rolling your enthusiasm is infectious!🤲Also wondering if some sort of sponge wrapped to the stem in bottom of bucket would hold the water or possibly introducing drip irrigation into bucket on a timer so as to satisfy plant thirst and not overwhelm bucket with a large quantity of water at once?
James I'd recommend changing your watering method to fix the flushing out the bottom. The slower the better so use something like a foliar sprayer and add a wetting agent. Something like yucca or the Q from BuildASoil will really make a difference
very nice and fun experiment, i think cherry tomato was perfect choice as a larger tomato may have more blossom end rot issues, keeping the roots cool on hot summer days sounds like be biggest challenge but thats same for any tomato in a pot. :)
Great method and thank you so much for sharing these.I am going to try immediately ～❤️❤️💛
Fantastic Video! This gotta be my favorite from you and I enjoy them all. I'm on it! I'll be doing the same with the adjustments! Give thanks. Bliss
I love that solution for next year 👍 What a fun experiment 😀