Help! Upside Down Tomato Planter!

**daughter of pearl** · 03-09-2010, 09:50 AM

I just bought one of those hanging upside down tomato planters (as seen on tv!) because I thought it would be great way to maximize space on my balcony, and it was only $5.99.

Has anyone used one before? Having gotten it home and removed it from the box, I'm a bit concerned about its sturdiness and whether it will actually be strong enough to carry the weight of a plant.

Any thoughts or experience shared would be appreciated.

**YankeeMom** · 03-09-2010, 10:14 AM

I tried the homemade version a couple of years ago. I got a couple of marble sized tomatoes that never turned red. It was a flop.

My grandfather bought the actual Topsy Turvey brand and didn't have any better luck than I did. They were pretty, full, and green....but no tomatoes

**Russ** · 03-09-2010, 10:25 AM

Wish I could help, but I've never used them.

As a rule of thumb for tomatoes in general, if you water too much or give too much fertilizer you will get a lot of plant and very little fruit.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 03-09-2010, 11:10 AM

We hung one last year. We bought an extra plant hanger just in case the hanger that it came with wasn't good enough. We drilled a hole into the wood paneling where it was to be hung, then added in some caulking to make it stronger.

As far as growth was concerned, it didn't really grow all that well. I watered it once a week when I watered my other plants, but my other plants grew to be 8 feet tall while the one in the Topsy Turvy didn't grow all that well.

**stinkbug** · 03-09-2010, 11:20 AM

I've never seen any that produce anything worthwhile. I think the probllem is, the roots get too hot! They are not protected underground...

**Samigirl** · 03-09-2010, 12:28 PM

Sorry to rain on your parade, but we had no luck with ours either. The tomato plants in the garden did much better than the one in the Topsy Turvy. We only got quarter-sized green tomatoes out of the hanging plant.

**Josephhgoins** · 03-09-2010, 01:01 PM

WOW! I hate these reviews!! I was planning on doing this for this summer as I can't have a real garden.

Maybe I can try the homemade version with some flowers or something.

Thanks everyone for letting me know, at least now I won't be heart broken when I don't get to have fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch.

**mauimagic** · 03-09-2010, 02:26 PM

Mahalo for asking because I wanted to try this too!! Now, I won't bother.

**Grainlady** · 03-09-2010, 04:28 PM

I actually had good luck with mine last year, and picked tomatoes until after the first freeze. Didn't have any problems with diseases that usually plague in-ground plants.

What I did:

-Used a tomato variety that didn't get all that large, nor produce large tomatoes (Roma, Patio and Celebrity). I understand because of the success of Topsy Turvy planters, they are developing varieties that are good choices for hanging tomato baskets, so look for them - Window Box Roma, Micro Tom, Basket Boy Yellow, Basket Boy Red.

-Made sure they got plenty of feed and water. I rigged a drip bottle to slowly water the plants each day. We also had a mild summer with frequent rains, and I'm sure that was good for the tomatoes.

-I used Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting soil, and as soon as the soil settled in the planter after a few days of watering, I topped the planter off with compost.

I purchased better quality planters from Gardener's Supply Company to use this year. This planter has a 1-gallon reservoir that should prove helpful.

Revolution Upside Down Tomato Planter | Buy from Gardener's Supply

**daughter of pearl** · 03-09-2010, 08:51 PM

Wow, folks, thanks for all the advice...I figure I own it now, so I may as well give it a shot...I'll take the advice about finding a variety that works in baskets, and see what happens!

Thanks again!

**Mom23boys** · 03-09-2010, 09:23 PM

I am glad you asked this question as I was curious about getting one too. Glad I read the reviews first.

**wanderinggrandma** · 03-09-2010, 09:58 PM

Like GrainLady, I also had good luck. I planted cherry tomatos because I have a VERY short growing season. I planted 3 plants in the planter and I will only do 2 this year. I had to water everyday about a gallon of water and fertilized with time release pellets. With 3 plants the soil was just a massive rootball and I think that is why I had to water so much.

I pinched the "sucker shoots" off--the new sprouts at the joint where the stalk and limbs join. Had tomatos until first frost.

This was a gift and came with the stand. The bag part was very heavy when planted--I was glad I had the stand and didn't have to figure out how to hang it and keep it hanging.

**frugalfranny** · 03-10-2010, 12:34 AM

Wow --from what I have read and word from friends ---seems to be running about 50%.

No help here ---have never done them. Think I would do a 'mattie in a pot before the upside down thing. Lot of people here grow tomatoes in pots..............and they do great.

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 03-13-2010, 04:10 PM

We tried 2 of them last year. We couldn't get them hung up very high and I thought that effected the growth. One I had to toss early due to blight. The other produced, but not as well as my upright ones. One thing to keep in mind, mine got no water when it rained because the board holding it in blocked the opening. So even when it was pouring I would have to trudge out there and water it. Good luck!