The Topsy Turvy Does Work!

Before this year's growing season even began, I posed the question "Do Upside Down Tomato Planters Work?" There has been a great deal of discussion about this lately, especially about the Topsy-Turvy Upside Down Planter.

I decided to conduct an experiment this year and bought a Topsy Turvy and another upside down tomato planter that was really just a hanging basket with a whole in the bottom. They are hanging side-by-side on my deck.

The tomatoes in both planters are growing well, but the Topsy Turvy plant is thriving! It is performing as well or better than the main tomatoes in the garden.

The Topsy Turvy's plant is much larger than the one in the other planter, and there are more tomatoes forming. I think this has to do with the volume of soil that the roots have.

So my answer to my previous post's question of whether you can really grow tomatoes upside down is YES. However, it is still easier to grow tomatoes in the ground. Upside Down tomatoes have to be cared for in the same way that any container grown vegetables do. You must use a light soil mix like potting soil mixed with coir or peat moss. You also have to keep up with the watering without over-watering. Tomatoes like deep watering every few days. It is okay if they almost dry out in between waterings. I think most peoples biggest mistake with container-grown tomatoes is watering too much. Tomato plants don't like constant "wet feet". Too much water leads to rotting fruits and fungal disease.

With proper watering though, growing tomatoes in hanging containers is a great way to go. I plan on getting a few more Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planters for next year!

Here is one last picture of my hanging tomatoes with my daughter next to them to show how big the plant is.

I can't wait to see how big it gets and how it looks with ripe tomatoes on it. I will post again when that time comes! What about you? Is there anyone else who has had success with the Topsy Turvy or any other upside-down planter? I think the majority of talk about these planters is about how they haven't worked out. I would love to hear from you if you have found success. Thanks!

Comments

[Matron]

That is an interesting update. I think the watering is the most important point, to just get the watering right and have a big enough container is the key. Look forward to your updates.

[Sharon]

Hi Marc-this is Sharon from the simple green frugal and I am getting failure notices today when I sent the new roster. Could you please e-mail me-cdetroyes at yahoo dot com so I can get the roster to you. I do not use microsoft outlook so I can't seem to e-mail you here on your page (I won't set up outlook on my computer being a mac person and very stubborn too!) Thanks so much Sharon

[Margaret]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Margaret

[Kim]

Love that!

[Steve]

They look pretty plump in the bottom picture. Cheers!