Crafts & DIY
Upcycle empty plastic bottles into hanging “baskets” for beautiful tomato plants
This can be used for a lot more than just tomatoes. Strawberries and cucumbers definitely come to mind.
Rose Ann Dabu
04.07.21

When you are eating fruits or vegetables, have you tried to imagine the processes that these healthy foods went through before they got to your table?

Well, to say that it’s a long process is an understatement.

Pexels
Source:
Pexels

First, you’ll need to check the soil and clean the whole location where you’ll plant the seeds. You need to work on watering and other things to maintain these plants.

It’s no different when you plant tomatoes.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, it may take 60 to over 100 days before you can harvest tomatoes.

There are many ways to plant these fruits. You can plant directly in the ground – which is also the most common process. There are also times where people use containers, whiskey barrels, buckets, and more.

What if you don’t have this stuff?

YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

The good news is you can use all those empty plastic bottles.

A YouTuber gladly shared the whole process of doing this method. And he called it “tomato plant in plastic hanging bottle”.

Here are the things you’ll need:

  • Plastic bottles
  • Small piece of cloth (preferably jeans or another thick, soakable material)
  • Scissors
  • Tomato plant (It should be 20 to 25 days old)
  • Stapler
  • Soil
  • Cocopeat
  • Vermicompost
  • Plastic rope
  • Water

YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

1. Cut the bottom part of your empty plastic bottle.

Make sure to do these holes where you will insert the plastic rope.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

2. Get a piece of cloth and make a hole in the middle of it.

Don’t forget to cut the bottom of the small hole.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

3. For the small plant, make sure to eliminate the soil from it.

Make sure to be more careful to avoid destroying the roots.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

4. Insert the plant in the little hole in the cloth.

Also, stitch the part of the cloth that was cut by using a stapler.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

5. Weed everything but the roots through the top of the bottle.

Of course, the leaves should be outside of the bottle.

6. After that, you can add the soil.

The soil mixture should include 40% soil, 40% cocopeat, and 20% vermicompost. The uploader added that you can use cow manure as an alternative if you don’t have vermicompost. Just add everything and fill the bottle with it until it’s almost full.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

7. It’s time to add the rope.

You’ll need rope so you can hang the planter in a place where it’s partially shaded for 9 to 10 days.

8. Don’t forget to fill the bottle with water.

You’ll get results as early as 9 days. Of course, it doesn’t end with the planting process.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

After 30 days: add some liquid fertilizer to each plant. Consider 15-day intervals between every feeding.

After 60 days, you can expect to see some little flowers on your tomato plant. As for the uploader, his plant has already tomato fruits after 90 days.


YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening
Source:
YouTube/Ankit's Terrace Gardening

We all know that the whole process of planting, maintaining, and harvesting is not easy. And the farmers who have been doing the job deserve all the appreciation.

Thankfully, this method is something that we can all do because the whole process has been simplified while still being effective and definitely fruitful.

Watch how to do it in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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