Buy Local Pasadena Blog

Pasadena’s Buy Local neighbor in Monrovia, CA, experimented with his own version of the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Here’s what our friend, Eric (of ImageDomain) suggests as an alternative to ground-grown tomatoes:

If you have ever grown tomatoes in the ground, you know what “hook-worms” are; those ugly green caterpillars that destroy your plants and your harvest. You also know about constant staking and supporting of all the new growth as the plant gets bigger. No matter how hard I try, I seem to always miss something and weight of the tomatoes eventually break a big stem.

Here is a cool alternative.

Hang a pot, put a seedling upside down through the hole in the pot, pack foam rubber (my alternative to using a plastic bag) around the stalk to seal, fill it with potting soil, feed and water.

So far no bugs, no staking, no broken stems, just lots of tomatoes! Although, one plant is almost touching the ground, so I will trim it up so it does not get bugs from the ground.

I just harvested today to make a Lebanese Tabbouleh salad:

Home Grown Diced Tomatoes

Fresh Minced Parsley (not a little, LOTS)

Fresh Minced Garlic (personal preference)

Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice (a little)

Salt & Pepper to taste