Usually, you think of plants as growing up from the soil. That doesn't have to be the case, however. You can turn your garden topsy turvy and grow plants which normally grow upwards from the soil by hanging them down from a planter. This is especially handy for the urban gardener where little gardening space is available.

You'll be really amazed if you grow tomatoes topsy turvy. Instead of hanging downward, the fruit will turn upward to gather the sun, creating a very beautiful display.

A great plant to grow upside down is the patio tomato or cherry tomato. Peppers such as jalapeño, cayenne, and Tabasco, or any plant which produces small fruit on strong limbs and branches will work great. Green bell peppers do not work well because the weight of the large peppers tends to break the branches before the pepper is matured. Always select varieties which are suitable for container gardening for your topsy turvy gardening efforts. Leafy herbs such as oregano and basil are also perfect for this type of gardening.

Many gardeners who have used the upside down growing method obtain better production yield than produced by the same varieties when planted in the ground. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that there is less stress on the branches and much better circulation of air.

The concept of topsy turvy gardening is really simple. This growing method works best using seedlings, whether you grew them from seeds or purchased them already growing. Rather than planting seedlings into prepared soil in the ground, the plants are planted in buckets or hanging baskets pointing downward. Common plastic five gallon buckets with plastic handles work really well for this type of gardening. You can also use large plastic pots with suitable sized holes in the bottom. If you elect to use large clay pots, you may find it difficult to prepare the pot bottom and the weight is significantly greater, requiring a much stronger hanger and plant hook to support the planter.

Ideally, you want to use a planter which already had a handle but you can attach plant hangers if necessary to support the planter from your plant hanger. Five gallon plastic buckets can often be obtained at no charge from restaurants because these businesses purchase products such as bulk condiments, prepared coleslaw and potato salad in these containers. Frequently, once they are emptied, the food service business discards the buckets, resulting in more and more plastic filling our landfills. Simply as a restaurant you frequent if you can have some empty buckets and they will likely be happy for you to take them away.

Wash your plastic bucket well to remove any food or debris. If using a large plastic pot, clean it will if it has been used previously. If it is brand-new, you can simply rinse the pot to remove any dust or dirt collected while stored in the garden center or outlet.

Planter Preparation

Before planting, you will need to properly prepare your planter. Because the plant will be hanging down from the bottom, you will need to drill or cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket of enlarge the drainage hole in the plastic pot. In most cases, plastic buckets have a circular indentation in the bottom which is about two to two and one-half inches in diameter. Use this as a guide for creating your hole. You want to create a hole between two and three inches in size. This hole will be the opening from which the plant hangs and grows.

Planting Your Upside Down Planter

Place the bucket or pot right side up with the hole pointing down between two objects such as boards in order to expose the hole but support the planter. If the stem root bundle is smaller than the hole, place a small square of cheese cloth or other porous cloth, sphagnum moss, coffee filters, or newspaper in the bottom and cut an opening through which the plant can extend.

Very gently tread the seedling leaves and stems down through the opening, or if the root bundle is small, pass it up through the hole and wrap the cloth, moss, coffee filter, or newspaper around it for support. Hold the seedling so that two inches of the stem extends from the bottom of the planter.

While continuing to support the seedling in place, pack potting soil around the stem in order to anchor the plant and ensure it will not slide out of the opening. While continuing to hold the seedling in position, continue to add soil to the bucket, packing it firmly. Once you have added enough soil to support the seedling properly, you can release the plant. Continue to add soil until the planter or bucket is about an inch or two above the root bundle. On top of this soil, add a layer of compost, about one inch deep. Then fill the planter the rest of the way with soil, stopping about one inch from the top of the planter.

Hanging the Planter
Install a sturdy hook from which to hang your planter. Because a five gallon bucket of soil can be quite heavy when wet, it is better to use a larger hook than you believe necessary rather than erring on the smaller side and ending up having your plant hook fall out of the support.
Hang the plastic bucket from the attached handle. If using a pot, place a top-edge hanging system on the top so that nothing constricts the pot bottom or interferes with the growing plant. String plant hangers simply will not work since they have knots at the bottom which will damage the plant.
Water the plant well. You will know you have enough water when water begins dripping from the bottom hole shortly after watering. After watering, check the level of the soil to ensure it hasn't settled more than two inches from the top of the planter. Add more soil if necessary.
If you have the lid for the bucket, you can place it loosely on the top of the planter, but do not seal. This can prevent moisture loss and extend periods between watering. If you have no lid or are using a pot, be certain you water frequently enough to keep the soil moist. Frequently check the soil level to ensure that it has not lowered and, if needed, add more soil to the top of the planter.

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