Planted in 4 of them last year (a gift, not something I would have purchased at any price because of the numerous negative comments I've heard from local growers...). They did great in Spring, soaking up the sun's heat on the south side of the house. But by late June then well into September, the vines did terribly. No amount of water could compensate for the many days of 100+ degree heat. The roots just cooked.
I would never recommend using these unless:
1) You live where temperatures rarely get above 80° (or else you use shade cloth and misters - what a pain and extra $...)
2) You grow only small determinate or dwarf plants (IMO, most varieties of tomatoes should be given a minimum of 20 gallons for their root mass)
A local novice commercial grower purchased and is using about 200 of these - blatantly contrary to my strenuous advice. They are some of the sorriest looking tomato plants I've seen, even with shade cloth and an automatic drip system. Many are dead, most are not producing.
To me the most interesting part of the story is the social commentary: millions of dollars in advertising for a virtually useless product, yet countless millions of gullible gardeners (or wannabe gardeners) have taken the bait. You would think that many of us are simply desperate to spend our money on anything fancy and new, while unwittingly padding the pockets of the wealthy advertisers...
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