Upside Down Tomatoes: Opinions?
Forum Archives
ranjanir
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Apr-07-2007 at 9:37am
Hi,
Good morning! I have seen many advertisements in gardening magazines for upside down planters. They're specifically supposed to be good for growing tomatoes (no need to stake them, lesser chance of diseases from soil borne pests, etc). Has anybody actually tried these forms of growing vegetables? I am keen on starting a vegetable garden this summer with my children, and want to figure out some fool proof ways of doing this.
Any data would greatly help.
Thanks!
Ranjani
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Apr-07-2007 at 9:56am
I once grew a tomato plant upside down in a container. I didn't see any benefit from growing it that way. It was awkward to grow it upside down, especially when trying to move containers around, you can't set it down once it's planted.
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Apr-08-2007 at 12:03pm
A friend, who is an excellent gardener tried the hanging tomato business. She is retired, so she was home, and attends to her plants and garden on a daily basis and even she was not very satisfied with the results-- My daughter tried them last year, but gave up by July due to problems related to watering. My criticism was based on the fact of how long tomato roots grow--about 6 feet down with lots of branching roots. I know they sell patio tomatoes, with less tendancy to make roots, but even they become root bound. I think the patio tomatoes would be more satisfying the the upsidedown style.
Carol
bluelytes
Posted: Aug-11-2007 at 10:26pm
RANJ,
I have found that "determinate" varieties work best for this. There is a system at: http://www.topsyturvey.com I think it is. They appear to be well made, and about 20.00 ea. Personally, I just use a 3 gal bucket.
Regards;
bluelytes
SkyeBleu
Posted: Aug-22-2007 at 3:17pm
I did one this summer and wouldn't do again. I grew a Million Cherry tomatoe in a paper pulp planter. We did brass rivets around the top and hung some wire. The issues were it's hard to find a place high enough that you can water without the plant touching the ground. I also found the water run-off did not make the leaves happy and they died off some. In addition, the pot gets very heavy even doing the type of soiless soil that Topsy Turvey recommends. I think the Topsy Turvey is way to expensive for what you get and if you want to try it, this method was under 3 dollars.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton