My coworker gave me two cherry tomato baby plants last year. I didn't know what to do with them since I've never planted them before. I remembered watching a Topsy Turvy TV commercial so I thought, "Hey, why not try growing the tomato plants upside-down?" I didn't want to spend $20 on Topsy Turvy, so I went around the house to get ideas and decided on a bucket as a pot. I didn't want to spend $10 for a 5 gallon bucket and lid at Lowe's. Then an idea hit me as I was walking by the bakery aisle in my local grocery store. I could check with the employees and see if I could get some of their empty frosting buckets. Initially they were surprised at my request but they gave me not one or two but 4 buckets! I found out that they would clean the empty frosting buckets and recycle them. They were glad to give away for a good cause :)
So I went home happily with the buckets and cleaned them properly. Since I don't own a garden and accessible soil, I bought a bag of potting soil from Lowe's (I use Miracle-Gro potting soil. So far, my plants in the pots/buckets seem to grow really well).
Below are the instructions for growing your very own upside-down tomato plants! I've used the same procedures and successfully grown cherry tomato plants for two years in a row.
1. Grow your baby tomato plant until it is about 5 to 6 inches tall
2. Find and clean a 5-gallon bucket and its lid
3. Drill or cut a 2 inches in diameter hole in the center of the lid
4. Drill or cut a 2 inches in diameter hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket
5. Find two coffee filters. Place one filter over each hole, making sure both filters are placed in the insides of the lid and bucket. These holes are used as drainage when watering the plants
6. With the filter in place, pour in the potting soil until it completely fills up the bucket
7. Cover the filled bucket with the lid. Ensure it is tightly secured
8. Flip the bucket so that it is now upside-down
9. Remove the filter through the hole in the bottom of the bucket
10. Dig out a hole in the soil that it is deep enough for the baby tomato plant's roots (3 inches in diameter). Save the soil for the next step
11. Gently remove the baby plant from its original container. Transfer carefully through the hole in the bottom of the bucket and into the soil. Fill up the hole with the soil from step 10
12. Place the upside-down bucket in a sunny area, safely away from deers and bugs. Water the plant everyday. Tomato plant grows very well with plenty of water