Hanging TomatoesHanging tomatoes are the most recent hit with not only people that have limited or no garden space but also those that simply like the idea of doing something different.
You can purchase kits to grow hanging tomatoes or you can create your own hanging plant using a five-gallon bucket, soil, a plant and a sturdy stand to hang the plant. When to Plant If you plan to move the tomato in from the outside, then you won't have to worry about frost. Most people find that is cumbersome and wait to plant the tomatoes until after the danger of the last frost. How to Grow Unless you buy one of the hanging tomatoes already on the market, you'll have to make your own container. Some people use a five-gallon bucket and others use a coco basket to place the plant. The concept is still the same for both. If you use a coco basket, you'll have to cut an X in the bottom with scissors or utility knife. If you use a five-gallon bucket, you'll need to make a hole approximately 2 to three inches wide and then line the bucket with newspaper to hold the plant in place until the root system grows. If you're using the coco basket, place the basket in the holder so that the bottom supports only leave a crack where you can slide the plant through. It's often easier to slide the roots in from the outside. For those using a bucket, make a small slit in the newspaper and do the same. Soil and Fertilization A soil mixture of one part compost or manure, one part vermiculite and one part peat moss gives not only adequate fertilization but also the vermiculite helps retain water. Since these are in small containers, they tend to dry out faster. Watering Due to the size of the container, you'll have to water them thoroughly on a daily basis. You can help prevent water loss by putting a lid on the bucket or covering the coco basket. Putting a small planting of another plant with plenty of foliage on top also reduces the water loss more than the plants use. Types of Pest /Disease and Prevention or Control Just like any type of tomato, these are also subject to some pests and diseases, but not as many as the traditionally planted counterparts are. You eliminate the pests that arrive via the ground because your tomatoes hang and most of the soil-borne diseases since you mix your own soil combination. There's plenty of ventilation to reduce the potential molds and fungus that affect the tomatoes. Harvesting and Storing. The tomatoes ripen more rapidly since the soil warms far quicker. You can pick your tomatoes when they have an even red throughout for the red varieties and yellow or orange for the other varieties. Normally you won't have enough tomatoes to store from a single hanging basket, but if you have several, you can either core and freeze the tomatoes or blanch and can them. Pruning and Trimming To get the best possible tomatoes, sometimes removing non-producing branches is essential. It allows the nutrients to flow into those that produce flowers and subsequently tomatoes. This gives larger tomatoes.
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