Home Made

Gotta love that word(or words/whichever)! Most anything tastes better homemade. So I was envying and daydreaming today about how lovely it would be to have my own big backyard with plenty of room to grow any vegetation I wanted. Tend to it, care for it, and love it is all it takes...oh and water. So today Im making my wishlist and Im jotting down right here, dog gone it...and so help it someday it WILL come to pass.

My "growing" wishlist:

Trees:

the lemon,

the blood orange,

the ruby grapefruit,

the plum,

the cherry

the peach.

(homegrown oxygen! you can't go wrong!)

green grapes(mmmmm...delicious to the taste)

blackberries(black-classy, berry-o'delish)

rosebush(for smell, beauty, and memories sake)

Im still debating which garden fruits and veggies but "for sures" would be:
watermelon
corn
cucumber
lettuce
hanging tomatoes(oh yes, tis possible...see below)


(finger tapping)...I know theres more..im just shootin' blanks. Hm, oh well, to be continued...




ya know, ...Im sure as hella Glad were coming back to the "reap what you sow" era of and sticking IT to the "middle man"!!!!



The benefits of growing things hung:

better air circulation for lack of disease issues

fruit stays fresher longer

critters are no-where-to-be-found!(well, at least there are dramatically less of em')

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How to grow a hanging tomato plant

"

What You Need:

A five gallon bucket with a hole in the bottom and some cord to hang is all you need to grow upside down tomato plants!
Five gallon bucket purchased at your home and garden center
Soil with the correct vitamins additives recommended for growing tomatoes (you will need one 40 pound bag of soil for each plant)
Tomato seedling (preferably a smaller variety of fruit like Roma)
Several feet of 1/8 inch cord
Utility knife

Instructions for Hanging Upside Down Tomato Plants:

You can purchase your empty five gallon bucket at any home and garden center.



A green bucket will be less ugly than the orange or white ones or you can paint your bucket whatever color you like. Be sure the inside of the bucket is clean, using warm water and mild dishwashing soap and then rinsing it well.



Next, cut a hole about two to three inches in diameter in the center of the bottom with your utility knife.



Lay several layers of newspaper in the bottom of the bucket and cut a small slit in the newspaper through the hole in the bucket; this will help hold the seedling in place when you initially hang the bucket.



Drill four small holes evenly around the top edge of the bucket to attach your cord. You will want to measure the distance from the hook or other point you will hang the bucket from.

Cut four lengths of cord and tie one end of each piece to each of the four holes.


Turn the bucket on its side and carefully remove your tomato seedling from the container it came in and thread it through the slit in the newspaper so that the stem protrudes through the hole in the bucket and the roots are inside the bucket.



Fill the bucket with the potting soil, which you can purchase along with your bucket at any home and garden center or local nursery; be sure it contains the right vitamin additives suggested for tomatoes. ---Be gentle to your seedling and try to allow it to protrude about three inches out of the hole in the bottom of your bucket.



Cut several holes in the lid and place the lid on the bucket, taking care you do not harm your seedling in the process!



Now you are ready to hang your bucket in a sunny place with plenty of room below for your tomato plant to grow down. Tomatoes need a lot of sun so do not hang it in a predominately shady spot; it should get direct sunlight at least fifty percent of the day.




Keep your upside down tomato plant well watered and in about 50 to 75 days you should begin to see flowers and not long after you will have tomatoes.


Let your tomatoes ripen on the vine and pick them as they become red and firm and ready to eat!


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Hanging Tomato Plant Tips:
Plant tomatoes such as cherry or Roma varieties that have smaller fruit, which do best with the upside down hanging tomato growing method.




If you don’t like the look of a five gallon bucket, you can also purchase planters specifically made for hanging tomatoes.




Be sure to pick a solid place and use a good strong hook or other means from which to hang your tomato plants; each planter will weigh between 35 and 40 pounds.
Plant your hanging tomato plants in spring (between late April and early June depending on how far north you are located) so that you can enjoy fresh tomatoes all through the growing season. "



Resourse and pictures:

http://www.howdididoit.com/home-garden/how-to-grow-hanging-tomato-plants/

www.minifarmhomestead.com/gardening/tomato.htm