Topsy Turvy

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James27576

New Member
Are they worth using for tomatoes? any hints if you like them? Can they be made from a 5 gal bucket?

Thanks for input!
James
 

Spider_Lily

Active Member
My Uncle made them out of five gallon buckets.Drilled several holes put the plants in filled in with potting soil.His done ok but not as good as being planted in row's outside.
 

Blueaussi

New Member
I think the 5 gallon buckets would work better than the actual commercial bag. And I think I'd go for dwarfs, determinants or at the very least, varieties that aren't as sprawling.
 

James27576

New Member
I was recommended Beefsteak Tomatoes for sandwiches and the such, but between the suggestions for dwarves in the topsy turvy I will probably stick the ones I have germinating in the ground and look into my preference (as a fairly decent Itilian cook) Romas in the buckets.

What size hole should I cut? should I go with one hill per bucket? if more than one, how many? what do you think about adding something like basil to the top of the buckets?

Wow.. I ask alot of questions...

Thanks for your help,
James.
 

Dor

Active Member
My grandson Tyler is here today so sometime this afternoon I will help him sow an assortment of cucumbers he wanted. I have the peat pots ready for him.
 

FLO

New Member
Topsy turveys are terrible. I wouldn't waste a penny on it if I were you. I tried one, and had horrible results. They also bake the roots. The dirt dries out in hours, not days. The baffles impede water distribution. The water makes channels, and runs out, missing the dirt altogether. The plants try to grow roots on the vines. There were a fraction of the fruits, and they were cracked from uneven water distribution, and dry spots. I could not ever evenly water. I tried very hard, even taking entire days to water over and over again to try to get the dirt evenly moist just one time, so that it could stay even. I had no luck whatsoever. It was the worst gardening "thingy" I have ever tried.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I tried a bucket as I thought the idea was suited to my deck so at the end of seaon I could bring them in. Didn't workt well at all. I think the pictures they show you were plants grown elsewhere and then put in the pots. I cangrow just about anything but this was not worth the time or effort to mess with :(
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Buyer Beware!
I loved looking at all those perfect plants hanging perfecly with lushous foliage and healthy fruit!
But, in the end thes topsy turvies were grown in greenhouses where the growing conditions were perfect and well tended!
Perfect photos usually mean, at least to me, too good to be true!!
All you guys prove this!
 

mtblubird

New Member
Lots of people who have not tried them yet are very excited to try them...but the ones I saw around town last season did not look very healthy, and from what I have heard from folks who have tried them they did not work so well. I am not going to try them.
 

Kya D

Active Member
My friend tried them and found that it was hard to keep enough water to em. They just dried out so fast
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I tried growing a tomato in a 5-gallon bucket in an upright position and it didn't do well, so I didn't figure upside down could be an improvement. I do plant a tomato on the back porch in a half-barrel and even though it bears fruit, the same tomato (Sungold) in the garden makes it look pretty pathetic. But it serves the purpose. The one on the back porch is so someone can snag a few tomatoes when passing by.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Buyer Beware!
I loved looking at all those perfect plants hanging perfecly with lushous foliage and healthy fruit!
But, in the end thes topsy turvies were grown in greenhouses where the growing conditions were perfect and well tended!
Perfect photos usually mean, at least to me, too good to be true!!
All you guys prove this!

I agree Ron. To good to be true!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
I think the reason is that tomatoes have far reaching root systems. If you pull them at the end of the season you can see their roots travel great distances. They are what I call creepers. They are not deep at all but as well don't want to be root bound. The only tomatoes I see in containers that do well are those that are fed daily. My neighbor feeds her everyday when she waters, but she also use chemical fertilizer. To me the trade off is not worth it;)
 

SandiB

New Member
My daughter tried the topsy turvy last year and was Ok w/her results, they need watered alot. She will try again she says.

WELCOME James27576
 
G

Greenthumbs

Guest
Topsy turveys are terrible. I wouldn't waste a penny on it if I were you. I tried one, and had horrible results. They also bake the roots. The dirt dries out in hours, not days. The baffles impede water distribution. The water makes channels, and runs out, missing the dirt altogether. The plants try to grow roots on the vines. There were a fraction of the fruits, and they were cracked from uneven water distribution, and dry spots. I could not ever evenly water. I tried very hard, even taking entire days to water over and over again to try to get the dirt evenly moist just one time, so that it could stay even. I had no luck whatsoever. It was the worst gardening "thingy" I have ever tried.

I agree whole heartedly!! Never even used the topsy turvy...Would never buy it, one can tell it's junk. You can totally make something yourself much nicer and much more classier....if you really want an Upside down Tomato :p
 

palmettogal

New Member
I've never used a Topsy Turvy, probably because quite a few years ago we tried the upside down 5-gal bucket with very little success. Proper watering is the issue and no matter how hard I worked at it the plants were spindly and the tomatoes small, not to mention few and far between.
 

James27576

New Member
one of the main issues I have seen is watering. I had a thought (and if its a bad one tell me) of using soft rubber in the holes for the plants, cut a small slit through it and thread the plant through it. the slit closes around the plant to hold the water, but use rubber soft enough to allow for growth.

Any thoughts? I am picking up that topsy turvys are altogether bad ideas. didnt know if maybe that idea would take care of that one issue.

James
 


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