Saturday, April 20, 2013

Success With The Inverted Container


Do you think it might be a serious addiction if I can't seem to give up the gardening, now matter what the season is?  Nah!  I just call it sensible, and so much fun.  The inverted container is a great option for carrying on the harvest.  It works in any season and can be utilized indoors or outdoors.

The biggest trick to a container garden is knowing where to place it.  The planters on the right WILL NOT be suitable for indoor use.  They are way too heavy and need a lot of light.  That is why mine are hanging outside on a tree.  Normally I would not be tempted to make a purchase like this, but I found them on clearance.  The design makes them suitable for larger tomatoe breeds, or peppers.  There are much better designs that are easier to use.  Many you can find right in your own kitchen, or garage.



This simple planter is perfect indoor or outdoor.  It is good for lighter plants, such as peppers or herbs.  Tomatoes work very nicely in this planter also.  I recommend sticking to the smaller varieties though such as cherrie or grape.  Use a simple green planter that is just lying around, like the kind store bought plants come in. Cut a hole about 2" round in the bottom center of the pot and add about 2 inches of soil.  Place your favorite seeds in the soil and fill the container with dirt.  Be sure to add fetilizer, or mix some nice coffee grounds in with the soil. Hang the planter where it will get sufficient morning sun and watch the tomatoes grow.

This is my latest project.  I simply cut the top off an empty 2 gallon soda jug.  A 3 gallon jug would work much better, but his little guy won't be too heavy to hang.  A 2 gallon milk will work very well also.  Once the top was removed I softened the plastic in boiling water so I could cut a 2" hold in the very bottom center. I went straight to my compost for the soil and you can see how dark and rich it is.  I literally had to return the worms back to the compost. I placed a few Hatch Pepper seeds on top of 2" of soil and filled the remaining about 2 1/2 inches from the top of the container.  Using a hole punch three holes were placed 1 1/2 inches down from the top to hold the wires.  This will prevent the wire tearing through the plastic.  I would have preferred a nice strong twine but wire worked well.  I twisted the wire around a key ring to attach the planter to the ceiling hook.  Finally I place the container in a window that gets a lot of sun and gave it a drink of water.  When watering an inverted container you have to avoid over watering.  Hopefully in a week or so I will begin to see tiny sprouts of peppers peeking through.