Do tomatoes grow better upside down?
Written by
Julia Anderson
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.Many gardeners are curious if tomatoes would do better upside down. By performing tomatoes upside down, it has some unique advantages that only come from doing this in a specific way. Compact cherry types do very well when grown upside down, but larger, vining types fail due to stem breaks. You will need to carefully control your watering and select a proper setup to ensure success.
Pest Reduction Benefits
- Elevated position prevents soil insects from reaching plants
- Avoid cutworms and beetles common in ground gardening
- Still need monitoring for airborne pests like aphids
Critical Variety Selection
- Cherry and grape tomatoes excel with flexible stems
- Avoid large beefsteak types prone to fruit weight issues
- Dwarf varieties stay under 3 feet for better management
Watering Techniques
- Check soil moisture daily in warm conditions
- Water until drainage appears at the bucket hole
- Use funnel to target roots and avoid foliage wetness
Space efficiency is what makes upside-down tomatoes ideal for urban settings. I had a bumper crop of 15 lbs of fruit from my balcony garden last year. You can have vertical growing space without losing valuable walkable space. This eliminates the need for staking because vines are trained downward by gravity, essentially.
Unique soil blends can prevent buckets from becoming overly heavy. A potting soil, peat moss, and perlite mix with a ratio of 2:2:1 is recommended. This blend maintains good drainage and keeps buckets manageable. Potting soil garden soil becomes very heavy when appropriately watered.
Temperature regulation is still vital for flip success. Keep temperatures between 50°F and 90°F for plants. Place buckets in a location that receives 8 hours of sunlight each day. A reflective space enhances light in urban gardens that lack shade.
Read the full article: How to Grow Tomatoes Upside Down Successfully
