# Garden in today



## Due51 (Oct 26, 2005)

I spent the morning planting my container garden rather than fishing or turkey hunting . 

I have 4 varieties of tomatoes in upside down containers: 
SuperSweet 100 (LOVED these last year. Ate them like candy).
Grape
Large Cherry
First Lady

3 varieties in the self contained gardening system:
Roma
San Marzano
Sweet Million (actually 4 different plants in one container--hope it's not too much).

1 California Green Pepper in the upside down container (hope it works)

Basil & Cilantro

I still need to get some red and yellow peppers, jalapenos, maybe some banana peppers, and whatever else comes to mind.

Now I just need mother nature to cooperate and keep any late frost away.


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## Pugetsound (Feb 5, 2002)

Hey we are going to try the upside down containers this year. Could you post a few photos? I would love to see your set-up.


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## Due51 (Oct 26, 2005)

I got the instructions from this link:
http://www.upsidedowntomatoplant.com/
I have 4 of the 5gallon pails set up with tomatoes and 1 green pepper plant.
I suggest you make the hole in the bottom of the bucket bigger than 2". There's no way you can get the root ball through a 2" hole.


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## Pugetsound (Feb 5, 2002)

That is the website I had looked at to figure out a way to do this. One of the websites I looked at suggested threading your plant through the two inch hole instead of the root ball. That is what I had planned on doing.


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## harpo1 (Dec 6, 2007)

Due51, we all ready have plans to learn how to can tomato's this summer, but do you dehydrate a lot of your stuff for future use... or just eat most of it fresh as it ripens? I thought about putting in some pepper & herb plants this year and then dehydrating it for winter use in soups and stews.


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## UNCLE AL (Jan 5, 2002)

I'm also going to try the upside down method this year. Going to go with some tomatoes, cukes, and zucchini, on top of the 5 gallon pails i'm going to try some hot peppers, and flowers. I'll get some pics up, and I want to see everyone elses. Good luck.


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## Due51 (Oct 26, 2005)

harpo1 said:


> do you dehydrate a lot of your stuff for future use... or just eat most of it fresh as it ripens


Last year, we ate it as it ripened and I never got to jar salsa or marinara.
This year I'm hoping to have a bigger crop of tomatoes (AND lose fewer of my peppers.) We'll see.


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## Firecracker (Aug 19, 2005)

Canning Tomatos is very easy 

I cant wait to do mine .... never dehydrated peppers.... have to try that I just freeze mine.


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## harpo1 (Dec 6, 2007)

Firecracker said:


> *Canning Tomatos is very easy*
> 
> I cant wait to do mine .... never dehydrated peppers.... have to try that I just freeze mine.


 
I hope so. I've seen tomato's canned a couple different ways so I gotta do a little research to figure that out.

This is a great time of year to pick up food dehydrator's cheap at yard sales. We have seen a couple all ready this year and they were both like brand new. I suppose you could just dry them in the oven as well but I've never tried it that way.


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## kbkrause (Feb 12, 2002)

harpo1 said:


> I hope so. I've seen tomato's canned a couple different ways so I gotta do a little research to figure that out.


Due to their high acidity they're easy to can. Basically skinned tomatoes, little salt and process in hot water. If you want to get into canning a little more, pick up the Ball Blue Book of canning. The book is a great start.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I hot-pack tomatoes, and it is simple to do. It goes a LOT faster if you have 2 or 3 people. We don't grow enough to can for our year-round use; but buy a bushel or two for canning each year; and then eat the fresh toms from the garden. I eat most of my peppers, and freeze whatever we don't eat. Anymore I just grow beans, tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs. It is too easy to find garden grown veggies in MI in summer, and I don't have enough garden space to grow everything we consume.


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## 2ESRGR8 (Dec 16, 2004)

UNCLE AL said:


> I'm also going to try the upside down method this year. Going to go with some tomatoes, cukes, and zucchini, on top of the 5 gallon pails i'm going to try some hot peppers, and flowers. I'll get some pics up, and I want to see everyone elses. Good luck.


 The Framers Almanac states that peppers are antagonistic toward tomatoes, they should not be planted near each other.
I started to plant my garden last night. We do a modified salsa garden, tomatoes, onions, peppers(bell and jalapeno).
Trying a couple upside down planters myself this season.


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## UNCLE AL (Jan 5, 2002)

2ESRGR8 said:


> The Framers Almanac states that peppers are antagonistic toward tomatoes, they should not be planted near each other.
> I started to plant my garden last night. We do a modified salsa garden, tomatoes, onions, peppers(bell and jalapeno).
> Trying a couple upside down planters myself this season.



Thanks for the heads up on the peppers/tomatoes. I'm going with upside down, and a ground garden as this will be my first attempt at upside down growing. I'll keep the peppers on the ground.


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## Sagio (Mar 19, 2009)

Due51 said:


> I spent the morning planting my container garden rather than fishing or turkey hunting .
> 
> I have 4 varieties of tomatoes in upside down containers:
> SuperSweet 100 (LOVED these last year. Ate them like candy).
> ...


So you have done the upside down method before? Apparently they must of turned out ok. I am thinking of it but was told it didn't work. Sounds like that's not true?


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## trout (Jan 17, 2000)

Water bath Canning is super easy.
I did over 20 quarts of stewed tomatoes last fall.
This year I have 36 tomatoes, a dozen pepper plants and 400 onions.
Plus 50 foot rows of carrots, spinach, radishes, rutabagas, dill, beets and 20 potato plants.
I have three garden plots and two of them I havent even started to plant.
My seed expense was almost 100 bucks.
The winter squash is in the house started along with two types of cukes.
Straight 8 and a pickler.
I give away all that I don't eat or can, to the elderly here in town.
In return I get lots of homemade jellies and pies and pickled beets.
Have fun and keep the weeds down.


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## Firecracker (Aug 19, 2005)

harpo is u was closer Id show ya 

I make my own salsa as well.... stewed tomatos,,, and spaghetti sauce this year. 
I am looking for a pressure canner right now, so i can do meats 

We are doing :
Red & yellow peppers, cukers, 2 different tomatos, squash, corn salad, Green Beans, Onions, Dill, basil, .... not putting in corn this year. we just dont grow enough to make it worth it. hehehe

then of course strawberrys, put in a blue berry bush rasberry's,,,, but they come up on their own  just to munch on


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## Due51 (Oct 26, 2005)

Spent the morning putting this together. Finally got it finished. Now I hope it stays up.:lol:


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## Michihunter (Jan 8, 2003)

Hopefully you guys won't consider this too bad of a hijack but I was wondering how you guys keep your tomatoes until your ready to can? Can you just freeze em whole?


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## Pugetsound (Feb 5, 2002)

Nice set-up. They look so much nicer than mine.

Nate


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## sweatyspartan (May 24, 2004)

Looks good Due. I have 3 buckets to hang this week. I'll probably do something similar to what you have there. I spray painted mine green too!


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