The 5-Gallon-Bucket Planter

• 1). Cut a 2-inch hole in the center of the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket. Select a bucket that has a handle. If you plan to reuse one, disinfect it first. Fill the bucket with a solution of nine parts water and one part bleach. Let it sit in the bucket for 30 minutes to kill potential pathogens.
  
  
• 2). Insert the root system of a tomato seedling through the hole. Stuff newspaper pieces around the roots to hold them in place. Hang the bucket from its handle on a sturdy structure outside. It has to be strong enough to support the weight of the upside-down planter filled with potting soil.
  
  
• 3). Add potting soil to the bucket. Irrigate it and cultivate your tomato plant as usual. Cover the soil surface with a layer of mulch to reduce water loss to evaporation.
  
  

The Self-Watering Soda-Bottle Planter

• 1). Wash a 2-liter plastic soda bottle.
  
  
• 2). Cut off the bottle's bottom at the point where the ridged area ends and the plastic becomes smooth. Now, you have a piece of plastic that looks like a bowl with grooves. That is the planter's water reservoir for the self-watering system. You also have the rest of the soda bottle, which is about to become an upside-down planter.
  
  
• 3). Make a tiny hole, about 1/8 inch in diameter, in the center of the bottom of the water reservoir.
  
  
• 4). Insert the water reservoir into the plastic bottle bottom first. Push it in until its rim is aligned with the bottle's cut edge.
  
  
• 5). Make the holes for the planter's hanging system. Cut two ¼ inch holes opposite each other through the two pieces of plastic you aligned in step 4. Remove the water reservoir from the inside of the bottle and set it aside.
  
  
• 6). Push the root system of your tomato seedling into the narrow opening of the bottle out of which you pour the soda.
  
  
• 7). Add potting mix to the bottle from the cut end. Leave several inches of space for the water reservoir. Irrigate the soil thoroughly. Keep the bottle elevated to prevent crushing the seedling.
  
  
• 8). Fit the water reservoir into the bottle. Align the two ¼-inch holes you made in step 5. Insert a hair stick or a chopstick through the holes. Tie a length of twine to both ends of the stick. Now you have a handle for your homemade planter.
  
  
• 9). Fill the reservoir on top of the upside-down planter with water to provide slow drip irrigation to your tomato plant.