Felknor Ventures, LLC. Topsy Turvy; Upside-down Tomato Planter

With the upside down tomato planter you can water, feed, trim and harvest without bending or kneeling—and since your crop is upside down and will never touch the ground, staking, caging, bacteria, ground rotting, fungus and small animals become problems of the past. It's the perfect gift for any gardener. Great for those in apartments or small backyards. Water and fertilize through the built-in top funnel; trim and harvest at chest height! Also for cucumbers, peppers, flowers. Just add your soil and plants.

To prepare your area for planting, loosen the soil. If the soil is compacted or consists of heavy clay, improve drainage by adding some compost, peat moss or coarse sand. Work the material into the top foot of soil before you plant.

Follow these planting guidelines for a successful herb garden:

• Plant early in the morning or late in the afternoon to prevent the    transplants from wilting in the midday sun.
• Dig each planting hole to about twice the width of the root ball of    the new plant .
• Space herbs about 18 inches apart to give them room to spread    out and grow.
• Place taller herbs, like sage, rosemary and marjoram, towards    the back of the garden. Parsley and cilantro are good for the    front.
• For accents of color in your herb garden, add flowering plants    like zinnias and salvia.
• Plant perennials on one side and annuals on the other for   easier replanting next year.
• Give the new transplants plenty of water. Once established,   make sure your herbs get an inch of water each week   throughout the growing season.

Even a small herb garden provides plenty of fresh herbs for summer cooking. It won't be long before these plants will be ready for sampling. With judicious picking, most herbs can be harvested continuously for several months.

If you have available yard or garden space, you can plant a kitchen herb garden. When choosing the location for your garden, keep in mind that most vegetables and herbs need as much sun as possible to do their best.  Good drainage is also a must, so avoid low-lying areas where water collects.  An ideal location would be a few steps from your kitchen, but any spot that gets about six hours of sun a day is good. Herbs can be added to any garden, and perennial herbs provide years of fresh herbs.

By planting herbs that are most often used in cooking, you can pick what you need all summer.

• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Squash
• Corn
• Celery