Upside Down Tomatoes

Now, I grew tomatoes the first time I planted a garden and I bet you did, too, but I sure as heck have no clue why we all jump right into growing tomatoes. What's so special about home grown tomatoes?

Maybe they just plain taste so good, vine ripened and freshly picked, ready to eat or quickly sliced, still warm from the sun, and spread on a plate. Or that taste treat of quick popping a cherry tomato in your mouth, stolen fruit, before you move along to the next garden chore. Maybe it's because well grown tomato plants are an attractive addition to the garden.

Or maybe the whole process thing connects us with the earliest New World farmers, eking a subsistence from the soil with their bare hands and a pick axe. Maybe they give us a legitimate excuse to hang out all alone in a far corner of the back yard, deep in thought, pondering The Tomatoes. Maybe it's just tradition. Or maybe it's fun.

Like I said, I have no clue about why we do it. But that we will go to great lengths for our home grown tomatoes is a given. The earliest, the largest, the best tasting, the reddest, the sweetest, the heaviest, whatever the contest we all seem to be shooting for that blue ribbon winning, over the top, number one BEST tomato.

Seriously, this year, I think the upside down version may just be the way to go. It's easier than you might think. Unless maybe it's cheating? Too easy? Well, there might be a downside, mainly that the roots would bake in a hot climate unless you use a pretty large container and you will need to water daily and of course the support has to be pretty sturdy.

In case you want to try it, here are a couple more hints on how to grow tomatoes upside down in a bucket -- or in a hanging wire basket for a more decorative look.