Today’s link love post shows you how to take apart an iPod and make it a little more natural, how to grow great tomatoes, how to wash clothes with just one cup of water, and how to justify your paper-towel habit at home. Good stuff, so let’s get to it!

Wooden iPod
Design Boom
Have an old iPod and some scraps of nice wood laying around? Sounds like a project! I say “old iPod” not because it makes the project easier but because I’m pretty sure this voids the warranty, but it looks gorgeous. Key point: The wood that’s laid over the click-wheel is shaved so thin that the click wheel still works new! More photos on the builder’s Flickr page.

Tomato-Growing Tips from the Pros
Home Know-It-All
Just a few days ago, we wrote about growing tomatoes upside-down. We have some more great tomato-growing tips, thanks to the folks at the Home Know-It-All. Among them: “Fight blight with mulch.”

Spin dry: The washing machine that needs just one cup of water
Daily Mail Online
Researchers at Leeds University in Britain have developed a washing machine that uses only one cup of water to wash a load of laundry. One cup. During the washing cycle, the water is heated to help dissolve the dirt, and thousands of tiny plastic chips to absorb the dirt. And eventually, we might be able to afford them!

Why Being “Paper Towel Free” Is Overrated
Re-Nest
The folks at Re-Nest shared a lengthy, photo-filled write-up in defense of paper towels, a topic that’s much more interesting than it sounds. “So why is there SO MUCH FUSS about paper towel use in the kitchen? It’s all the rage to say, ‘I’m paper towel-less!’ like there’s a medal to be won or a badge of honor to wear because of it. On the opposite side, maybe you’re feeling the reverse effects of green goers around you. There can be a tinge of shame when you sheepishly raise your hand to admit you still use them in your home. Being green enough is a whole new way to keep up with the Joneses.”

Photo courtesy of jozaeh on Flickr

There’s been a lot written lately about the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter, a simple device that lets you grow your tomatoes upside down.

The manufacturer says it helps water and nutrients flow better to the fruit on the plant, prevents spoilage by keeping tomatoes off the ground and can save you the back pain of performing the necessary maintenance on the ground.

The folks at Shelterrific point out that your tomatoes don’t need a $20 infomerical product to grow well upside down. Rather, they include a link to a do-it-yourself set of instructions, which would free you to use whatever look and feel you want for your specific purpose — not to mention saving some money.

The blog Green Joyment has some instructions and a bunch of videos showing similar projects, so you can get an idea of how these plant hangars work.

And if you’re interested in the original Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter, here’s a pretty thoughtful review.

Photo courtesy of kkimpel on Flickr