anyone actually use a topsy turvy tomato planter ?

I have had extremely poor, success with my tomatoes the last few years.. yes I know that last year was basically a flood.. and the deer ate my other plants.. however, I am desparate.. one last year of desparation.. has anyone used a topsy turvy planter ? and if so how well did it work? I need the always excellent advice that I get on this forum..

I am to the point of just wanting to give it up.. it seem just as I am on the boarder of success, it all blows up..

help me or give advice.. I have poor soil that I reconditioned.. I put in lime ,and peat, and 10 bags of new black dirt.. I covered the ground with that anti weed cloth. it just doesn’t seem to work out for me.. the first couple of years I “over planted” I put in about 30 plants in an area that was for about 6 to 9..I have a space that its about 4 foot by 6 foot long and then 4 foot by 10 foot long..

Help me please..

My folks used one last year and their main complaint was that they had to water it everyday due to evaporation. They grew a few nice tomatoes out of it but the soil gets as light as a “popcorn fart” when they took off for a couple days of travel. They won’t do it again…RR

Yes I have used them now 2 years in a row. My personal experience has been bad. My tomatoes were small and hard both times. I think that because it’s hanging upside down, the water just drains out way too fast. If you don’t keep up, the dirt gets dry very quickly. I will go back to putting them in a regular planter this year.

Mike

Rat have you considered just countainer planting them? This seems to work about the best in your situation imho. My mom did the turvy thing with mixed results, she now does containers and says why didn’t she do that a long time ago? Same issues as stated above.

Last year I grew tomatoes in a soil that was 100% miracle grow potting soil.They were fantastic. They were pampered with watering every 2-3days and liquid miracle grow every week.Basically they were ordered to produce and they did not disappoint! Used early,beefsteak, and big boy varieties.Good luck.

Forget the Topsy Turvy and take a 5 gallon pail, cut a hole in the bottom, and plant your tomatoes. A black pail will heat up quickly in the spring time, and you can plant up and down.

I tried two for the 1st time last year. Read, previously the trick is to keep it moist and use heavy mulch or moss. I mixed 1/4 good potting soil, 1/4 composted Cow Manure (bought in bags at a garden store) and 1/2 moss. Results were not spectacular, but got a few good tomatoes, peppers turned out great. Like others comments, you have to monitor daily or every other day, just water. Problem is hanging upside down, all the water runs into the tomatoes and some burst open.

My small garden plot gets great tomatoes every year. I use ½ a (40 lb) bag of composted cow manure to fertilize each plant as I plant them. I wait until Memorial day to plant outside, but container grow to plants 10”-15” tall.

I break off all the leaves/side stems up to leaving just 4-leaves/stems at the top and plant them so the soil is within a ½ inch of the lowest leaves as all of the stalk/stems below ground will take root. I plant like varieties 4ft apart and other varieties 6ft-8ft away. I mulch with grass on top of landscape fabric, from the mower/bagger to keep the ground moist and cool/weed free. I move the grass mulch around every week to keep it dry, from mold starting and from weeds starting to grow.

I usually use the heaviest cages (30”dia./4ft high) you can find and end up staking with 6ft steel t-posts and add bamboo or other secondary stakes/posts. My tomatoes in the ground end up 6-8ft tall/4ft diameter. 4-plants is all we need to have plenty to eat and freeze (Freezing is much easier and faster than canning).

I’ll use the topsy/turvy baskets again, but only for peppers to keep them away from the rabbits.

Good Luck.

PS: I dig holes 24″ diameter and 18″ deep for planting. Filled with cow manure compost, grass, leaves, moss, potting soil and soil dug out all mixed together. I do not use any other fertilizer.

PS2: I have been gowing tomatoes for over 15 years like this. Location requires 75% or more Full Sun.

Google earthtainer or global bucket for awesome Tomatoes or peppers.

I tried them two years ago and found it a waste of money. Stated earlier in the post, you have to water them almost twice a day to keep them hydrated!! I had a cherry tomato plant in a patio pot with water sump under it and that thing took a filling every day during the summer and it held 1 gallon of water, proving the amount of water a tomato will use per day. I definately would advise against the topsys unless you water twice a day and then I wouldn’t gaurantee anything. What seems to be the problem…..no growth or issues of blossom rot or what??? Maybe there is an answer here somewhere.

Quote:

---

My folks used one last year and their main complaint was that they had to water it everyday due to evaporation. They grew a few nice tomatoes out of it but the soil gets as light as a “popcorn fart” when they took off for a couple days of travel. They won’t do it again…RR

---

What he said.

We get the hanging flowers that come in a similar contraption and yes, eventually as it becomes root bound or more root than dirt, you’ll be watering 2 times a day. Our flowers look great until then, but by late summer they have sucked all the nutrients out and start to die even with regular watering.

Rat heres what I and a couple others do. Get yourself some big pots if they don’t cost to much, 1/2 whisky barrels are ideal because of the charcoal cleaning the soil and fill the bottom with 2″ of rock and a layer of sand over that about an inch thick. Roots have to breath in order to grow big plants and make sure theres some 1/2″ holes in the bottom of the container so the water can drain off when it rains and the roots can pull up oxygen. Put in Miracle Grow potting soil with an 1/8th cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 5 gallon bucket amount of soil. Plant the tomato plant deep by pulling off the lower couple limbs, Planting deep is the thing to do because the stem will throw off roots the whole length and thats what the plant needs to grow lots of big tomatoes, a big root system is needed to pull up the needed nutrients and water. Water regularily, a good watering two too three times a week with Miracle grow (tomato) plant food. If the deer could get to the plants just take 6′ or 8′ stakes, drive into the ground and put chicken wire around the plants. As the plant grows pull off the smaller sucker limbs because you want the nutrients and water to go to the bigger limbs, you’ll get more and bigger tomatoes by pulling the sucker limbs, you’ll see after the plants about 2 feet tall which ones are the smaller sucker limbs. Big Boy and big Girl are good producers with pound tomatoes common. Keep the plants staked up and off the ground and you should do just fine.

Dont give up Rat. Last years weather wiped mine out too. We are bound to get a warm summer soon. Up til last year I had never had a problem with tomatoes. That was the weirdest thing I have ever seen.