Topsy Turvey Tomato Planter- Do You Recommend It?

NO! I know several people who had it including me, they rot out!
I am the first to admit I have no green thumb but my uncle tried it and he has an awesome garden and his rotted out too.
I never watered mine because everytime I looked it was so wet.
We did have a lot of rain that year but still.
Try one they are only like $10.
Good luck

M.

http://www.WorkingGreenMoms.com

I tried one a few years ago. You can't plant a seed in it, you have to begin with a seedling - the instructions tell you how to plant it. The problem I had with it was not so much the bag but the support pole that I got with it. It was fine for about a week, but the whole thing collapsed when the weight of the soil and water brought it all down. When it hit the ground the bag split open, the seedling was crushed and I chalked the whole thing up to a failed experiment.
If you have a VERY sturdy way to hang it where the plant can get enough sunshine (my porch is not at a good angle for this) (maybe hanging it from a swing set or something like that would work if it's not in any shade), then try it and see what happens.
I see they have a new model out this year where the pole goes up through the middle of the bag and you can plant several plants in it. Perhaps the support issue has been addressed, but I'm waiting to see if others report success with it before I spend more money on it.

I got one for my birthday from my boys this year. You can plant just about anything in it from tomatoes to eggplant.

I tried to do this last year and didn't have any success. Mine rotted out before it produced any fruit! But I did want to mention in case you decide to go for it, that you don't start with seeds. You actually have to buy a plant that is already grown...I think the recommendation was over 4" or something like that! Good Luck! :-)

We bought 2 last season and we loved them. THey even made it through a move from NC to PA. We plan on re-planting them this year and getting the one for the strawberry plants too. I do not recommend using seeds to plant in them though, you need a plant, but you could plant the seed inside and plant the seedling in the topsy turvy once it got big enough.

We've used them for two years now with great success! We hang ours by hooks we already have on the beam on our front porch, so the weight is supported well.

you have to start with a seedling, you can't use seeds.
Give it a try though, my boys have had a blast with tomatoes these last few years.

I have never had one of these, but my grandmother does. Let me first say, this lady can grow ANYTHING. We live in NM and she grows avacados, pomegranites (SP) and raspberries among the other veggies and fruits in her garden.. Well she got one of these "topsy turvy" plants as a gift. She could not make the tomatoes grow. Sure she got a few but nothing like promised. This year she is going to put a cherry tomatoe plant in it. She doesn't give up!

Long story short, I wouldn't waste my $$$.

I know the concept works, and you don't need to buy the kit to do it. My sister grows tomatoes every year this way, but not with the Topsy Turvey planter. She just cut a hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and hangs it from her deck on the side with the most sun. She grows several plants this way (1 per bucket) of different types of tomatoes, and she gets a ton of fruit.

I had one last year. You do have to buy plants, not seeds. The support pole is not strong enough. We had to attach it to the bottom of our deck, which doesn't get much sunlight. The tomatoes did grow, but where small. If we were able to hang it somewhere with more sunlight, I think they would have grown much bigger, but we couldn't find anything that could support the weight.

Hi L..
My Dad and one of his friends both bought these last year. His friend had great success, and Dad... not so much. The difference was in the soil they used. Dad used potting soil and it was just too wet and heavy. He got a few tomatoes, but nothing like they show on TV. His friend on the other hand used another kind of planting mix that was much lighter in weight. He was giving tomatoes away because he couldn't eat them all.
I'd say give it a shot. I'm thinking about getting one this year. Just be careful what soil mix you use and it should work out nicely. If not, you aren't out much and it was something fun to try!
Good luck and happy gardening!
Christi

I echo what most of the Mom's said, too heavy, not enough sun, small fruit. Not really worth it. Sounded like a good idea...

M.

I'm wondering about the Topsy Turvey Tomato Planter too. Any comments experienced users would be appreciated.
Thanks,
E. B

i got one last year and it sucked. i couldn't keep the plant alive to save my life. After the first plant died i even tried to plant a second one and that one died too. Waste of money. Buy a pot and grow it upright in a container instead!

I think it comes with the plant already in it. I would go and see the package.

We had great success with our Topsy Turvy last year. We used a starter grape tomato plant (not seeds) from the Home Depot. It is also very important that it gets enough sun. It was very easy and we got a nice crop of grape tomatoes - had a hard time keeping up with them, in fact. I say give it a go - what have you got to lose?

Good luck,
H. S