Tips for growing crops in hanging baskets?

[Hans Mum]

Tumbling tomatoes in mine too, when DD was smaller she used to stand on kitchen doorstep and pick and eat them like sweets....ive done 100 & 1000's toms last couple of years and theyve been really successful I used some water retaining mats from poundshop last year which did make a big difference and also sink an empty 500ml pop bottlewith bottom cut of and holes punched in lid, as i'm planting them up to help get water right into the roots. I also did a herb basket last year & put it outside kitchen door brilliant for just snipping as your cooking.

[Matt94]

i did a couple of hundred and thousands tom plants in mine last year and even tho i sowed them a late i got a decent crop from them.

[super trowel]

I have never had a good record with hanging baskets.
So this year I will be planting some cacti style plants.
Last year tried prickly pear, tastes a lot like cucumber

[Storming Norman]

Top tip - hanging baskets with a decent built in water reservoir. They work; nothing else quite does the trick in my experience. I've just seen a new type in the garden centre in two layers both with water reservoirs which I'm going to try toms in the main basket and basil in the top bit.

Now I've a greenhouse with a high roof I'm going to try baskets with strawberries in as I've got loads of last years runners in pots and no place for them.

Last year I put a hanging basket on the same hanger as the bird feeder and as a result grew a good crop of bird seed!

[justgimmeethefaxmaam]

I line my baskets with old compost bags cut to size & punctured at the bottom and sides then I put in some scrunched newspaper and a small trowel full of gravel on top.Then a 2 inch layer of manure.I mix about a desertspoon of water retaining crystals with multi purpose compost to fill the basket.Leave a good three quarters of an inch below the top of the basket to enable a good soak when watering. I use the hi-lo gadget to lower & raise each basket.

Every year I grow...Tumbler tomatoes,Orange Baby sweet peppers,Riot chilli peppers and strawberries.
I get very good cropping from
One tumbler tomato plant per 14" basket
2 Baby pepper plants per 14" basket
2 chilli plants per 14" basket
& 3 Strawberry plants per 14" basket.

Correct watering & feeding is the key. I used PTD's excellent advice for both

Glenda

[Sarico]

I have four hanging baskets on a south facing wall. Two for the original Tumbler tomatoes and two for strawberries. I line the baskets with old plastic compost bags to about half way up the basket as this forms a water reservoir without the chance of drowning the plants. Then feed as I would any other container, high nitrogen until the fruits start to form then change to high potash. If anyone should try this way of growing remember they will dry out very quickly in hot weather so a daily check is essential.

Colin

I agree with you Colin but I make my hanging basket out of plastic pots and instead of use a bag for the reservoir I make the hole on the side about 1-2 ich from the bottom. I did 1 strawberry last year in this hanging pot and did well. I will try again this year with flowers, tumbler Tom, more strawberry, and why not some peas. Let see what happen. B