Growing Tomatoes Upside Down

[vivian]

Has anyone here tried this with either the Topsy-Turvy I or II tomato planter systems?

I live in an upstairs apartment and have no access to a ground-based garden, but thought I might be able to hang these outside my window.

viv

[Bill R]

I haven't use the Topsy-Turvy system (at $16.95 each they are too expensive) but I have grown several varieties in pouches that result in the same upside down growth. A set of two pouches sells for $5.95 and they are sold by places like Park's Seeds,

is best to use determinate varieties of tomatoes if you plan on growing them that way. In case you don't know, determinate varieties only grow to specific heights and I have found that when growing them upside down it is best to use the shorter determinate varieties. Many of the very short "patio variety" ones do very well growing from pouches and you can put three or four in one pouch and you won't believe the yield that you will get from just a few plants.

Pouches are also very good for growing flowers if you have limited space. The cascading varieties of petunias do fantastic in pouches and they will easily grow to four (or more) feet if you feed them regularly.

[Jim Elbrecht]

Also- Could anyone comment on *why* upside-down? Why not just a container?

I know 3 people who grow container tomatoes upside down. None can answer why it is a better system than standard containers. [one has 5 acres of lawn and probably a quarter acre of flower beds- yet he grows these 2 scrawny tomato plants upside down for the past 3 years. Is it just the novelty that draws people to make their tomatoes hang un-naturaly?]

Jim

[Cheryl Isaak]

Could it be sheer novelty? I've seen the Topsy-Turvey tomatoes well grown, dripping with red and green fruits and it is "fun". It makes me smile.

I've never tasted the tomatoes, so I can't address that.

Cheryl

[Devonshire]

On the day of Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:18:28 -0500... Jim Elbrecht typed these letters:

The answer has to be novelty. Otherwise it's just unnatural. If one has enough space to grow tomatoes in a container upside down. One has enough space to grow them right side up in a container. The upside down tomato concept makes no sense to me... Then again a lot of things in the world make no sense to me.

Devonshire

[Rick]

I've grown tomatoes three ways (upside down, in the ground and in containers) for the past three years. I use 5 gallon buckets (like paint buckets) for upside down growth, not the store bought devices. I modified them by placing a hole in the bottom for the plants, and then inserted a papercup to act as a mols which I surrounded with spray insulation foam (Great Stuff). That made a several inch reservoir for water in the bottom of the bucket. Last year the upside down plants did the best. Those in containers or the ground got hit hard with a powdery mildew like fungus because it was so dry (I know, counterintuitive but that's what the experts said). The most amasing yields were the small types of tomatoes. I tried some big heirlooms and they split pretty bad (also split in the other methods).

Advantages of upside down- no staking or cages, easy to pick, less disease as plants are up in a breeze that keeps foliage dry, easy to water from the deck (they hang of my deck railing), high yields. Plants are planted deep (full depth of 5 gallon bucket)so they get off to a fast start. Kind of fun, and people get a kick out of it.

Disadvantages: I have to water frequently, and I've had trouble with splitting and blossom end rot due to erratic watering. I noticed the commercial grow bags have a couple of layers of foam rubber to hold water, and I am going to try that this year.

As to taste- I did not find any dfference.