Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old April 14, 2009   #1
clara
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 1,350
Default Topsy Turvy

For the first time, I saw this system offered in Germany, but I know it's coming from the U.S. Therefore, did anybody already try this system? It's quite expensive, so I need your opinions.
Thank you, clara
clara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 14, 2009   #2
BattleOfBennington
Tomatovillian™
 
BattleOfBennington's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Indiana
Posts: 76
Default

Used them, not bad if you dont have any garden space at all. I would suggest those great earth-tainers everyone build on here.

I found I needed to water 2x a day to keep everything wet enough and the plants not dry out (i even used those water gel crystals in the mix).

they also only last one season. The sun dries out the plastics.

If you real wanna hang them, do like my grandmother did - use the old milk pails that started to rust. (or since most of the folks here dont milk by hand anymore, 5 gal plastic will work)
BattleOfBennington is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 14, 2009   #3
ContainerTed
Tomatovillian™
 
ContainerTed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 6a - NE Tennessee
Posts: 4,538
Default

Clara, I think they are a fraud. I have heard reports this year that many of them are disintegrating after a few months. Here in the states, most of the places that sell them online are severely lacking in the Dave's Garden ratings. We can also find them now in the home improvement stores for about $9 or $10. Even the new model with the holes for plants on the sides are still a joke in my opinion. Every advertisement on TV shows tomato plants with dozens of 6-10 ounce tomatoes ALL RIPE AT THE SAME TIME. HEELLLOOO!!!!

I grew an upside down SuperSweet 100 last year in a 2 gallon pot with a hole in the bottom. While I got a good crop, it was in constant need of water and drove me crazy. I think it's a novelty that will make the sellers rich, but is not for serious growers.

I would ask you if you think you could grow slicer-sized tomatoes like shown in most of the Topsy-Turvy advertisements in less than a cubic foot of growing mix? I consider it a total waste of money. If I want an upside down plant, I'll modify a pot and hang it up like last year. If fact, I think you might do better hanging up a growbag.

Ted
__________________
Ted
________________________
Owner & Sole Operator Of
The Muddy Bucket Farm
and Tomato Ranch





ContainerTed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 15, 2009   #4
amideutch
Tomatovillian™
 
amideutch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E
Posts: 5,041
Default

clara, more a novelty than anything else. Save your money. Ami
__________________
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,
totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'
amideutch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 15, 2009   #5
clara
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 1,350
Default

Thank you all for your advice! I think you're right - it's not worth the money and I will prepare a pot for myself just to have a try - for a cherry, Ted! I would have a lot of space for let them hang down from the balcony (with an adjustable chain). Okay, now some hanging baskets and one or two upside down... and some in containers directly under the balcony.
clara
clara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 15, 2009   #6
ContainerTed
Tomatovillian™
 
ContainerTed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 6a - NE Tennessee
Posts: 4,538
Default

Sorry if I seemed totally biased against the Topsy Turvy, but my firecracker goes off when I run into blatant obvious false advertising aimed at stealing from the gullible side of the American Public.

Here on Georgia Public Television they have a gardener program that showed how to do a 5 gallon bucket upside-down tomato planter. It turned out so heavy that the host had to hang it from an old swingset. The key thing the host did was to use a large plant (2-3 feet tall) and hold the roots well up into the bucket while adding in the growing medium. He also packed the "soil" well enough to hold the plant up in the bucket.

Home-made costs less and works better. Clara, hope your experiment goes well. One thing I did with my experiment was to put a lid on the open top on the upside down rig. That allowed for less evaporation and eased the watering a bit. It also kept the wrens from building nests in the top.

Ted
__________________
Ted
________________________
Owner & Sole Operator Of
The Muddy Bucket Farm
and Tomato Ranch





ContainerTed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 15, 2009   #7
BattleOfBennington
Tomatovillian™
 
BattleOfBennington's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Indiana
Posts: 76
Default

Ted -

When my Grandma used the mail pails....

She planted two in the opening in the bottom, and two in the top.....

Had four plants out of those milk pails.

You are right, they get darned heavy fast.




Quote:
Originally Posted by ContainerTed View Post
Sorry if I seemed totally biased against the Topsy Turvy, but my firecracker goes off when I run into blatant obvious false advertising aimed at stealing from the gullible side of the American Public.

Here on Georgia Public Television they have a gardener program that showed how to do a 5 gallon bucket upside-down tomato planter. It turned out so heavy that the host had to hang it from an old swingset. The key thing the host did was to use a large plant (2-3 feet tall) and hold the roots well up into the bucket while adding in the growing medium. He also packed the "soil" well enough to hold the plant up in the bucket.

Home-made costs less and works better. Clara, hope your experiment goes well. One thing I did with my experiment was to put a lid on the open top on the upside down rig. That allowed for less evaporation and eased the watering a bit. It also kept the wrens from building nests in the top.

Ted
BattleOfBennington is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 16, 2009   #8
clara
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 1,350
Default

Once more, thank you all! What a funny idea, BoB, to use the pail from both sides! I'm now thinking about the combination: A yellow tom at the top and a dark at the bottom or red and green or... As the balcony is the only place where neighbors can look into our garden, I'm sure there will be a lot of questions concerning this new bi-colored "variety"...
clara
clara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 17, 2009   #9
Polar_Lace
Tomatovillian™
 
Polar_Lace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Z8b, Texas
Posts: 657
Default

clara,

You can also plant herbs in the tops to go along with the tomatoes - basil (different colors,) thyme, oregano ... etc.

I like Canary Vine or Nasturtium in the tops, they're edible too.

~* Robin
__________________
It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.
Polar_Lace is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 17, 2009   #10
Moonglow
Tomatovillian™
 
Moonglow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Corte Madera, CA - Sunset Zone 16
Posts: 356
Default

I had a very good experience with the Gardener's Supply version last year, and I'm using it again this season. The cage is heavy duty. I grew a black plum tomato in it.

http://www.gardeners.com/Gardeners-R...efault,cp.html

Happy gardening!
__________________
Moonglow Gardens
Sustainable Gardening One Planter at a Time
Sunset Zone 17 Apparently - - - Without the fog!




Moonglow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 17, 2009   #11
clara
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 1,350
Default

Moonglow, that system looks much more solid than the original Topsy Turfy! Thank you for the info!
clara
clara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 16, 2009   #12
kymaterjuice
Tomatovillian™
 
kymaterjuice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 37
Default

I am trying out the topsy turvy. I have my doubts, but I will see. I have attached a couple of pictures and will try to update with more pictures as they progress. Cheers everyone!!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 100_1060.JPG (712.5 KB, 77 views)
File Type: jpg 100_1061.JPG (741.4 KB, 74 views)
kymaterjuice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 16, 2009   #13
ContainerTed
Tomatovillian™
 
ContainerTed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 6a - NE Tennessee
Posts: 4,538
Default

Has anyone ever noticed that the tomato plants in the Topsy Turvey infomercial are not turning their leaves and stem tips upward toward where the sun should have been while they were outside? All of their plants have leaves and branch tips going down. Some of the leaves have their underside turned toward the cameras. Deceptive, false advertising which presents images that misrepresent the physical world we live in.

So, I still think they are lower than whale poop on the bottom of the Marianna's Trench.

But I'll follow the progress of kymaterjuice as reality is revealed.

Ted
__________________
Ted
________________________
Owner & Sole Operator Of
The Muddy Bucket Farm
and Tomato Ranch





ContainerTed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 16, 2009   #14
piegirl
Tomatovillian™ Honoree
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 791
Default

I'm working at a plant place/hardware store and their supply is gone and we could have sold at least a dozen today. Friends did one last year with a yellow pear tomato and the thing was a monster - 10-12 feet long, 3 feet wide. Another had a bell pepper that did quite well - at least they are growing something! piegirl
piegirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 17, 2009   #15
kymaterjuice
Tomatovillian™
 
kymaterjuice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 37
Default

To help prove Ted's point I have taken an updated picture since yesterday when I first planted in the topsy turvy. As you can see the plants are turning up toward the sun like Ted mentioned. It has only been 1 day since they were set out. I will try to post more pics. later on in the growing process. Cheers to everyone!!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 100_1068.JPG (684.3 KB, 134 views)
kymaterjuice is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:59 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★