Hi frdnicholas,

There is probably a reason they were given to you. If you do a search for topsy-turvy or upside down tomatoes, you will find a lot of threads on those containers. People usually find they do not work out real well (definately not as well as the commercials tell you they will.) However, just as with anything else, there are people who are pretty happy with them.

A common problem with any container planting is that when the weather gets hot, they are difficult to keep watered. You'll have to water often and when the potting medium drys out, it is difficult to get the water to soak in, it tends to run off the top of the soil, down the sides and out the bottom.

Like any container plant, you will need to feed them more often since watering washes out nutrients.

But since you got them for free, why not experiment? Have fun with it.

Bets

to start there is not enough soil in one to grow a decent tomato plant / on top of that all the water will drain on the plant and leafs and any thing in the soil

Here is some reading for you. :)

All the topsy turvey discussions from this forum

Topsy Turvey discussions from the other forums

All the upside down tomato discussions from this forum

Dave

Hey junktruck!

Before making a statement like that, you should do a little research. I thought the same thing then checked it out, the "regular" size topsy turvy hold 6 gallons of potting mix, and the "super-size" one holds eight gallons. Since a minimum of 5 gallons is generally recommended for growing tomatoes in containers, it should be adequate in that respect. Of course in general, they will do much better in the ground.

Bets

My dad used them last year with great results! I dont care for them cause I like my home depot buckets, easier for me to water and move as I need.

"Hey junktruck!
Before making a statement like that, you should do a little research. I thought the same thing then checked it out, the "regular" size topsy turvy hold 6 gallons of potting mix, and the "super-size" one holds eight gallons"
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It does not matter how much soil there is in that upside-down thing.
Roots tend to grow mostly down or horizontal not up.
Tomatoes tend to grow more roots out of their stems, if covered with soil.
But it cannot be done with USDT. IMO, it is just a fun thing to do and not very practical.
Actually, you can get much better results and much better looking tomato plants in a hanging basket style.

uhhu

Roots tend to grow mostly down or horizontal not up.

Roots go where the water is. If watered lightly from the top then the roots will grow up. It's not a gravity thing. They should not be watered until it is draining out the bottom.

The topsy turvy measures diameter 8.5" and length 16"
The volume of this is about 908 cubic inches which is equal to 3.9 gallons (fluid)
That said, I used one last year and had a decent crop of Better Boy tomatoes. Some days I had to water twice.

LarryG

Frdnicholas--these are fun to try so go ahead and see what happens for you.

I had one last year. It is hard to tell when the plant needs water, so have a regular schedule of watering that seems to be working. I got some tomatoes off mine, which was fine. I just used a volunteeer tomato because I figured it was just an experiment, and it turned out to be a Roma.