A few years ago I only saw the inverted tomato planters on late night TV ads (the kind where the pitch man screams at you) and figured they were a gimmick. But now they are showing up in the more reputable catalogs I get.
Do these work? I'm tempted because we live in a city with limited garden space, and apparently these could be used on a porch or patio.
For those who aren't too picky about looks, I've done this with a five-gallon bucket, using a wad of spaghnum to hold the initial root ball and plug the one inch hole I cut.
Charlie
And? What did you think of the results? Giving up dirt?
I haven't used them but my son has grown his tomatoes with the upside down planters for two years now. He started out with two, last year he had six, this year he plans on hanging ten along the rafters of his patio cover since it faces south and gets full sun all day. He's had great success with them. He uses Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil. He said he had a problem keeping the plants watered the first year so used the moisture control the second and it worked out very well.
Val
Not as bad as I expected, but not as good as ground 'maters. I had the water problem Val mentioned. They are sorry looking things, fer sure...like some animal hung up ready to be gutted. From a distance, without the specs on, they looked like a mossy octopus hanging from the rafters.
I plant indeterminate 'maters, so they hang clear to the ground. I would imagine that a determinate variety would at least look purrtier.
I only did that one year....since, I've planted cherry 'maters right side up in hanging buckets and let them drape down, covering and shading the bucket. The cherries do very well this way, and have the benefit of not having to train/tie/stake them upwards for six to ten feet. I ran a piece of split garden hose around the rim to soften the angle of the dangle. Still takes a lot of watering and fish juice, etc.
Giving up dirt? Not a chance, just trying to grab a little more growing area on our small spot.
Charlie
yeah, that's what I was thinking; seems like there would be more mechanical problems with the whole upside down process, and i can't see any advantage over having a suspended bucket and letting them drape down like you said.
definite advantage in not having to worry about those persistent diseases in the soil; disadvantage in that buckets need a lot more attention to the soil because of their small capacity.
Welcome Sylvia !
Bill
PS You write well.
I have tried them but found them to be more of a gimmick than as great as they are advertised to be.
If you are tempted to try them don't buy the overpriced ones you see advertised. Use the suggestions that others have posted to make your own. And, as others have said, use some mix that retains moisture well. I found that smaller tomatoes (the "cherry" varieties) work better than the larger ones.
Harder to water plants when they're above your head. Even harder when the plants need LOTS of water, such as beefsteak tomatoes.
For patios or porches, try an Earthbox-type subirrigation planter. Cheaper homebuilt from Rubbermaid totes than purchased.
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And, from having been over there for a few years, I may say that she is a kind, helpful, and interesting person to communicate with.
cheers
oz
Well, the results are in on this device, probably not scientifically accurate as I only had one, and it was, around here, a lousy year for vegetables in general, with out very first ripe tomato coming in the week of September 15.
I start seedlings inside under lights, so I had enough of the same species at the same size to plant one in the inverted device, two in a large pot on the patio, and eight in the garden. There are a number of these devices, and the one's they carry in the garden centers around here are flimsy, but cheap; I got one through a catalogue and it seemed sturdy and well made, but with the device, the recommended soil, and the recommended fertilizer, it came to about $50.
I have an irrigation system that waters the garden twice a week; the pot on the patio and the inverted device had to be watered by hand (not easy as it is elevated and thirsty).
The first ripe fruit was from the pot on the patio (it has good sunlight, while my neighbor's trees keep growing and are starting to shade my garden. The next fruits (larger and more abundant, were from the garden. The inverted device produced only three tomatoes, two small and one normal, and seemed to fade quickly. One day I went out and the plant was gone. My wife, fed up with watering it, had pruned it out of existence (she couldn't take down the device as it is quite heavy and I had elevated it, anticipating that the vines would prosper and drag on the ground. Incidentally, now that summer is over, we have a good crop of tomatoes, but the ones that develop in the cooler weather never seem to get tender.
So I would say that the > A few years ago I only saw the inverted tomato planters on late night TV
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