Have you seen these? They're ingenious!
I love the idea of an upside down hanging plant. I've been wanting to do this for awhile and bought the plants to do so about a week ago and then FORGOT completely about them and they died. So... while my mother-in-law was in town I decided to use her gardening expertise and hunker down and get 'er done!
Needed:
- Hanging basket and mossy-like insert
- Perlite
- Potting soil
- Plant food
- Tomato plant yielding medium sized fruit
- 2 Basil plants (or any other herb you desire)
- Shovel, hose, bucket, scissors or a knife & gloves
- sunlight, water, love, patience, perseverance...yada yada yada
Okay, so first you'll need to take your handy scissors, knife or sharp edged shovel and make a slit in the bottom of the mossy-like insert.
Next, ever so kindly shove your tomato plant through the slit, plant-head first.
Now, I'm NOT and let me emphasize NOT like three more times...NOT NOT NOT an expert in gardening and have always killed my plants. Keep the kids alive first, then the dogs and if the plants are lucky they get fed. So I had to do some research online before I dove into this endeavor and I read that one would need to use Perlite. Perlite is a product that helps the plant retain moisture, which is needed in hanging plants with their roots being more exposed.
I (I should say "we", because my talented mother-in-law was there to hold my hand the entire way) mixed 3 parts potting soil to 1 part Perlite in a bucket before pouring it into the hanging basket.
Doesn't that plant look lonely and bare on top? I think so too! So onto the basil.
I dug out two holes and inserted the basil plants. I was a little worried that the two differing plants would compete for nutrients, but I read online that some plants actually do better together. However, because tomato plants soak up a lot of nutrients from the soil a good plant food is required in order for both to thrive.
All done! Now feed your plants. That's really a reminder to myself. My plant food requires that you mix 1 tablespoon of plant food to 1 gallon water, but make sure you read the directions on any plant food you buy. Oh and also make sure your plant receives approximately 6 hours of sunlight/day.
Ohhh I can't wait for these tomatoes to grow. I wish I could snap my fingers and they'd appear.
Also planted were rosemary, a chili pepper plant...
...more basil, cilantro and oregano!
Pico de gallo and pesto here we come! (I hope)
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New follower here! This is a great idea. I also love your printables!
ReplyDeleteJust letting you know that I’m awarding you with the Versatile Blogger Award.
You can read more about it here:
http://landoflittleprincesses.blogspot.com/2011/04/im-versatile-blogger.html
I’m also passing the rules for accepting this award:
* Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their site in your original post.
* Tell us seven things about yourself.
* Pass along the award to fifteen newly discovered bloggers (discovered by me anyway)
* Contact these bloggers and let them know they got this award.
I love this! One of my favorite summer meals is sliced fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves on toast with a drizzle of olive oil & balsamic vinegar (sometimes I throw a grilled portobello mushroom under there, too) - you've got me craving these now! Can't wait to see how this planter turns out for you!
ReplyDeleteI'm scheduling a feature at ucreatefoods.blogspot.com!
Watch for it!
Belinda-- THANK YOU for the award! I promise I will get to passing it along soon. I've had some family in town and sick kidlets so maybe later this week. Thanks again-- what a sweet gesture!
ReplyDeleteTyra-- THANKS FOR THE FEATURE! I will keep my eyes peeled. I too am craving some summery garden food. We shall see how it goes. So far they're still alive ;)
This is such a perfect idea! I tweeted it out to all of my followers :)
ReplyDeleteAlysa-- what a sweet gesture! Thanks for tweeting it out! :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Love the idea of adding herbs on top -- such a great idea.
ReplyDeleteNike-- Thanks! I must say as I was researching if the two plants together would thrive I found a few other sites of people doing the same thing-- so I'm not the only one with the idea :)
ReplyDeleteHow did this all turn out for you? anything learned? anything you can teach us?
ReplyDeleteEileen-- Thanks for asking. My basil plant died during a freak late May hail storm, but the tomatoes did alright. The plant didn't yield as many I was hoping, but then again, I'm not the greatest horticulturist. :) Hope you have better luck than me.
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