Go Green Upside Down Hanging Planters

Remember when the Topsy Turvy Hanging Tomato Plant commercial seemed to run incessantly on T.V.? What it really amounted to was a plastic green bag with plastic rings at the top and bottom with a hole for the plant to go through and a hanger.

The concept is that it keeps plants off the ground away from pests and by hanging upside down the plants will naturally grow upward toward the sunlight. With the water flowing downward onto the plant itself it also gets moisture and nutrients onto its leaves, thus producing a hardier plant yield.

Here's a generic version that can be used for a variety plants, from tomato's, green beans or any vine type plant.

I use it to make a Hanging Herb Garden just outside my kitchen door for a year round supply of fresh herbs to cook with. Living in So Cal most growing can go year round but we occasionally get those too cold days and rather than let my herbs die it only takes a minute to grab them and stash then on hooks in the garage until the weather warms up.

This article was submitted to the Keep The Bottle Contest. Please consider giving it a vote and comment if you deem it worthy. Thank you.

Step 1: You Will Need:

To start your project you will need:

A young leafy plant, such a Tomato, Green Bean, Cucumber or your favorite Herb. I used Italian Parsley for this project.
A Two Liter Green Soda Bottle
A Hole Punch
A Roll of Duct Tape
Scissors and/or a sharp Knife
Enough soil to fill your bottle at least 3/4 full
A little Garden Mulch or Bark
Something sturdy to hang your planter with, such as twine, leather string, a cut coat hanger, etc.
A weather resistant hook to hang your planter on

Note: I had stated before that using a green bottle aids in photsynthesis, I stand corrected as you will find explained in the comments below by Dwygrshpr.

Step 2: Cut the Bottle

Cut the bottom portion off of the bottle.

Step 3: Wrap the Tape

Wrap a length of Duct Tape around the cut end with half of the tape above the cut.

This will add stability to your planter and prevent the plastic from stretching from the weight of the soil after it has been hung up.

Step 4: Fold Tape Inside

Cut a few slits in the portion of tape above the bottle and fold it to the inside of the bottle.

Step 5: Punch Holes

Punch four holes in your bottle as close to the center of the duct tape as possible

Step 6: Insert Your Plant

Insert your plant into the bottle and gently work the plant through the bottle opening.

Press the dirt ball up as far as it will go.

Step 7: Untangle Your Plant

Very gently untangle your plant and work it the rest of the way through the bottle opening.

Spread the root ball out inside the bottle to prevent your plant from becoming root bound.

Step 8: Fill the Bottle

Fill the bottle with soil to within 2 - 3 inches of the top.

I used the scoop I made in my earlier article Handy Go Green Scoopsto fill the bottle.

Step 9: Add a Hanger

Add whatever you choose to use for hanging your planter through the holes made in the Duct Tape.

Step 10: Hang and Water

Find a nice sunny spot to hang your planter and add water to soak the soil until it drips through the opening.

Cover the opening with some layers of cheesecloth, garden bark or mulch to help keep the soil moist and prevent rapid drying out of the soil.