PlasticFreeJuly: Upside Down Tomato Planter

Throughout July we will be publishing ideas on ways to upcycle plastics to help give them a second life. Today, we show you how to make an upside-down tomato planter

Items required:

X1 - 2L plastic bottle or similar size. (Bigger is better as tomatoes need room for roots.)

X1 - Small cloth/hessian. In this case, I used a baby bath cloth.

X1 - Pair of scissors.

X1 – Small potted tomato plant. (Cannot be established as will not fit in the bottle. Ideally a dwarf of small growing variety)

Twine / Rope.

50 / 50 Mix of compost & garden soil + some well rotten manure.

How to make:

• Firstly, carefully cut the bottom section of the plastic bottle off.

• Add x2 small holes on either side near the bottom end of the bottle. Thread a piece of rope or twine through the holes & tie a knot to create a loop or hook in this case for hanging around the garden. Determine how much of a drop you want, although you can alter at a later date if needed. I would recommend using a thick rope or twine as once watered in, becomes very heavy.

• Now grab your tomato plant, loosen off the roots & remove some of the compost.

• Cut back some of the branches to a node & wrap the rope around loosely to make it as slim as possible. Tie a small knot.

• Find some hessian/small piece of cloth and use this to wrap around the plant roots & stem. (This is used to prevent the roots from drying out & also to stop the soil from falling through.

• Now carefully bring the tomato plant through the bottom of the bottle & carefully thread the leaves & branches through the spout, taking care to avoid damaging the plant.

• All that’s left is to add a mix of compost/soil & rotten manure. Carefully add with a trowel & gently firm in around the roots.

• Water in well & hang anywhere in the garden.

• This will be painted in white paint which will help reflect the sunlight to stop it from drying out too quickly.