Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter?

[clawgirl]

Hi! I'm a newbie who needs some help....Has anyone ever used a "topsy turvy" tomato planter? I grew some wonderful tomatoes this summer (planted them in an old tree stump...they grew like mad!!!). However, I read somewhere that tomatoes should not be planted in the same spot as the prior year. ( Incidentally, is that true?) My planting space is very limited, as well as my budget, so I'd like to know more about these planters before I buy one....can anyone help? Thank you!

Aimee

[DandyLioness]

I sent you a PM clawgirl. Looking at it, I think it's pretty easy to make one yourself. They seem pretty cool, mostly because you don't have to worry about staking them! :P

[MaryG]

Tomatoes get the blight and other diseases easily and can leave them in the soil via old leaves. For this reason it's better to plant them in different parts of your garden every year. If you're using a planter it'd probably be OK if you discarded the old soil and used fresh every year.

[DandyLioness]

Well, see Mary... that's why I joined this site - to hear what you just said about rotating tomato crops.... I had no idea either. THANKS! :P

[boo]

Hi clawgirl

Welcome to Blossom Swap :D

[clawgirl]

Thank you all! This is a wonderful place!!!

Aimee

[Soilman]

I put my tomatoes in a planter and use fresh every year, which works out great for me. What the heck is a topsy-turvy? Never heard of it. -_-

Cheers! and welcome to BS clawgirl

-the soilman

[gardenlady]

those topsy turvy pots are similar to the 'down under pots' have used them for years and they work very well. just keep them watered well and one trick is to use that polymer that swells up and holds extra water. i can't remember what they call it --there are several names for it and its really inexpensive.

:D

[Soilman]

Those are called super absorbant polymers (Acrylamide/Potassium acrylate copolymer) and they are the same stuff that are packed into baby diapers. There are many manufacturers of it which is why it has many names. (thats why they call me the soilman :blink: )

So where would I find one of these topsy turvy pots and is that the name they go by? I always seem to put in long hours in the tomatoes and would hate to start resenting them for it. Any tool that can help me maintain my love for my tomatoes would be awesome.

Cheers!,
-the soilman

[bgendron]

Here's one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001WYNP...glance&n=284507 ('http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001WYNP0/102-9723555-5796141?v=glance&n=284507')

I've always had an issue with watering and these do look like they will dry out quickly.

I have 2 Earthboxes that I use. They are great since I can water them once a week and the tomatoes grow like crazy. I use them for my small, cherry tomatoes.

[gardenlady]

hey soilman, they are also called 'Down under pots'
check with your local garden center.
i don't know if the big box stores are carrying them yet.

[yellow22]

I have been getting request every year to save huge pots, the size of wash tubs, for tomatoes. Although have sparked high on my list what invokes the use of polymers because they could attract what's more than anything..... what shouldn't be in the soil that could make it toxic. If this is a product that I'm thinking your seeing offered, put it on top of the stump, wouldn't you want to know if ...why does everbody think it'll happens, that it's going to happen. I'd really like to know records like when they first started to report cop rotaion. I have a feeling they use spraying now and it might not be easier just to think every few years come back to the same area. If your short on space maybe this planter is wise.

[Soilman]

Super Absorbant Polymers are non-toxic. I am not sure if this is what you are looking for yellow22. I read this a couple of times, and am having difficulty understanding all of it. I hope this info helps.

Cheers!
-the soilman

[Blue Belle]

I'm bumping up this old thread because I just saw this on TV. They sell them locally here for half the price. I know people have made their own. Has anybody used this, or made their own? I thought someone mentioned upside down containers recently but can't find the info. Seems like a good idea.

http://www.hangingtomato.com/ (http://www.hangingtomato.com/)

[Cazimere]

I'm bumping up this old thread because I just saw this on TV. They sell them locally here for half the price. I know people have made their own. Has anybody used this, or made their own? I thought someone mentioned upside down containers recently but can't find the info. Seems like a good idea.

http://www.hangingtomato.com/ (http://www.hangingtomato.com/)

I'd be wary of buying anything from this outfit. I was sent dead plants by Gardeners Choice last year and they never replied to my e-mails or phone calls. Here's their Topsy Turvy web page.
http://www.gardenerschoice.com/ProductImages/fullsize08/Topsy-Turvey.jpg

[Blue Belle]

Does it say Gardener's Choice in the link I gave? :unsure: I can't see it. A lot of places are selling the Topsy Turvy. One of our hardware stores here sells it. I was just showing the site because it had the video.

[boo]

So why not plant them in the ground? :unsure: I would think it would dry out faster but I suppose it works.

[Blue Belle]

Didn't you watch the video? Didn't you see the backbreaking work it takes to plant them in the ground? :lol: It would solve the tomatoes rotting on the bottom, anyway, and you don't have to do the staking, another chore. I'm sure they make it look a lot easier than it is. I was also interested in the fact that it says you'd get the tomatoes earlier, since we have a short growing season here.

[boo]

:lol: I didn't have the sound on. :unsure: So what makes the tomatoes come earlier? :ph34r: i think it looks stupid.

[Cazimere]

Premature ripeulation :)

[Blue Belle]

:lol:


i think it looks stupid.

Not any worse than some of the tomatoes I've seen in the ground with panty hose tied around the stakes. :grin:

So what makes the tomatoes come earlier?
:rolleyes: Go watch the video again! And put the sound on! lol The planter is like a mini greenhouse, heating it up and making it grow faster. If you don't understand the video maybe Caz can draw you one of his pictures. :grin:

[boo]

:unsure:but your tomatoes can still fall to the ground. :) It's called gravity. Now I realize :rolleyes: this is from someone that has a listup charge on her cc bill but I still say it looks silly and $28?!?

My tomato plants have grew to 7 feet tall so those plants look dinky. I wouldn't know where to hang the thing. :unsure: I wear my panty hose & use concrete reinforcement mesh for my tomatoes. :grin:

[Blue Belle]

Wasn't the $28 for two of them? They're only about $10 here. It would probably be a lot easier for older people than having to dig and weed. You know, us 70-year-olds. :lol:

[Cazimere]

Blue, your impeccable logic has once again won the day. I'm giving Topsy Turvy a try :)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b163/cazimere/IMG_3951.jpg

[PRH]

Blue, your impeccable logic has once again won the day. I'm giving Topsy Turvy a try :)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b163/cazimere/IMG_3951.jpg
Only Caz would come up with this sorta thing! :p Good Luck,btw! :grin:

[boo]

Ugh, even your picture makes me dizzy. :wacko: Nice big mater plants. They must really do well with all that nutrients rushing to their head.. :unsure:

[Blue Belle]

Wow, isn't that weird?! http://ca.geocities.com/jfer@rogers.com/Hypnotized.gif I have a headache now.

[Sashweezy]

Way, cool Caz. How did you plant your upside down trees? :p