Setting Up Your Plant

First, watch the following video to familiarize yourself with a recommended process for setting up your upside down tomato plant. You are free to adjust this process as you see fit. The following video and images are available to you as resources to help get you started.

Below are some photos documenting the step by step process to setting up your planting environment. Remember these resources have been added here as a guideline. Feel free to experiment with the setup process using these suggestions, or change the process as you see fit. The only requirement here is that your plant is upside down, and sufficiently supported in the location you choose to plant it in.

Step By Step Instruction Photos

Cut a small hole in the bottom of the bucket or container

Prepare seedling or small plant for insertion in the container’s hole

Insert plant in hole in the bottom of the bucket

Hang the bucket from something which can support its weight at maturity

Multiple plants hung in optimal growing location

Photos by: Ian Maddox, available through Flickr under Creative Commons license

Discussion Questions

Answer the following questions using the comments area at the bottom of this page.

1. Do the methods for setting up your planting container shown in the videos and photos above work for your chosen container? Are there any adaptations you will need to make?

2. The photos above demonstrate planting seedlings upside down, rather than a mature tomato plant, as we will be doing. What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of starting with seedlings rather than older plants? Are there any special considerations to be aware of when planting new sprouts?