The post 1 Gallon Milk carton upside down tomato planter appeared first on The Cheap Vegetable Gardener.
I wanted to see if (how much) my yields varied by allowing more volume of dirt in my homemade tomato planter, so I made this variation with the same type and size “Husky Cherry” seedling I am using in my 2-liter planter version.
The build for this one is also very simple:
- I started with an organic milk carton given it was already opaque, but if you have the non-organic variety you will want to paint or cover the outside with duct tape.
- Next cut or drill a 1/2 inch hole on the bottom of the milk carton, this will be where the stem of the plant will fit through.
- Cut four slits out from the center of the 1/2 inch hole to make it easier to insert the plant into the planter.
- Insert plant through the bottom.
- Fill with soil (mix of 1 part peat moss/coconut coir)
- Finally drill a hole and feed though eyelet secured with a nut from the back side
Now here is where you can stop or you can go with the advanced auto-watering option.
Materials Needed:
- 20 ounce water bottle
- plastic straw
- sponge
Build Instructions:
- Drill hole just large enough to barely be able to pull the straw through
- Cut a 1 inch long piece of sponge just wide enough to be able to slip inside the straw.
- Fill with water and screw on cap and insert into top of planter
As the dirt dries it will also dry out the sponge which will release water and repeat as necessary. This works in a very similar concept as a Aqua Globe
