The topsy turvey is designed for tomato plants with small tomatoes, like Sweet 100s. Beefsteak tomatoes are large plants with heavy fruit and should be staked. A furrow is a narrow trench in the ground, so I don't understand how this can be done in a plastic cup. You could plant one seed each in plastic cups, but be sure to make a hole in the bottom of each cup for drainage. It's a little late to start with seeds, but not impossible. If I were you, I'd go to HD and get the pony pack with 6 varieties. Plant them in the ground or large containers - 5 gallon buckets will do, but once again, make sure they have holes.

What lgteacher said. Tomatoes are big plants. Mine are taller than me now. I don't really have the space is year, but I sometimes plant a few new plants in June here in San Diego for fall and winter tomatoes. You can speed things up by 3-4 weeks by buying plants.

If you do decide to buy plants, buy small ones that just have leaves. You don't want ones that have flowers or -- worse -- little tomatoes. The more advanced appearing ones have been stressed and are already stunted. The smaller ones will grow fast. Your seed will keep for next year.

Mulch your tomatoes and install drip, if they are in ground and you can. I push them hard with water and fertilizer when they are first planted and back off on the water once they have set plenty of fruit. Container growing is trickier. Try to water them just before they wilt!

I agree I would buy plants at this point as you haven't started tomatoes from seed before and it's getting late in the season. Starting tomatoes from seed will take about 6-8 weeks until you can plant them out, and if you're only planning on growing one in one topsy turvy...it would just be plain old easier and you'll probably be more successful if you just buy a plant.

I would probably check out the container gardening forum for specific suggestions on soil mixes for your topsy turvy.

If you are dead set on growing your own from seed, start with 2-3 seeds in a cup (poke drainage holes). I always start more than I think I will need because things happen and seedlings die. When they germinate, choose the strongest/biggest seedling, and then cut the tops off the others with scissors. Water from the bottom. Put the cup in a container with water in it, the mix you started the seeds in will wick moisture up into the rest of the cup. Water only when the soil is somewhat dry. I would highly suggest giving the seedlings more light than a bright window - you'll get faster growth and much stronger seedlings. Something like a shop light with "daylight" range bulbs set no more than 2" above the top of the seedling will work. Move the lights up as the seedlings grow. You'll want to repot them into larger containers as they get bigger (I use large yogurt/cottage cheese containers). Once they're at transplant size, you'll need to harden them off before transplanting outside (lots of information on how to do that here and other places). This will be about 6-8 weeks after your seed germinated.

Those are the basics, there is a learning curve to it and it is some work. And why I think everyone is suggesting if you're only doing one or a couple plants at this time of year, it's much easier for you to buy one that someone else already did the work on.

Thank you so much for the feedback!! I will definitely follow your advice since I'm so late in the game this year & buy a plant. I don't have a garden (or any room for one) so I have to do the topsy turvy. I also appreciate that there is a learning curve, It makes sense that I'll have to put in the time & work if I want to yield a good crop. Thanks for the FYI on choosing a variety, I didn't realize how size is really a factor to consider here. I was under the impression that a furrow is a groove (typically in the ground) of any size really, so in my case with the cup or small containers they would be small furrows about 1-2 inches deep.

Thanks for the help! Any more advice/tips are welcome!!

The only other tip I could give is that I haven't heard great things about the topsy turvy. If you have the room and assuming you don't have anywhere you could stick a tomato in the ground, you might be better off planting in a large container on the ground. I've heard the topsy turvys tend to dry out really fast (especially in our late summer heat) and are a little flimsy - tomatoes can get large and heavy. Container gardening for vegetables can be a little more difficult than growing them in the ground, so definitely do some research if you're going that route (container gardening and growing tomatoes forums would be great places to start).

San Diego does have the cool nights that tomatoes need to set fruit. We had a bunch of seed volunteers coming up in our petunias that we planted with our compost. We were surprised to see them, but now it's so hot that only two have fruited. They are pretty big plants. Very full and lush and one is long shaped like a Roma. The other is like the ones you get in a bunch for salads. Not cherry, but not beefsteak. They are too big for a topsy turvy. I doubt we will get any more heat, especially with this heat wave.

It is a bit late in the season to start, but we tend to have such moderate winters that your tomato plants may very well survive the winter and continue to produce into the next year. I currently have a tomato that is planted in a raised bed that survived this winter (an admittedly very mild winter), a huge aphid infestation this spring, and is really producing for me now. I had one plant survive two winters and it basically took over a couple of near-by rose bushes as it continued to grow. It became quite the adventure to reach into the mass of tomato vines and rose thorns to harvest the tomatoes!

Since you're in Hillcrest, I'd try Mission Hills nursery for buying your tomato plant. They should also be able to give you good advice. Another good nursery near you is Walter Andersen. Both are independently owned nurseries staffed with people who know plants.

EarthBoxes take a lot of the guess work out of growing tomatoes. EBs are engineered systems where every aspect of growing plants has been completely thought out. Watering is easy because all you need to do is fill up the water reservoir. They even have an automatic watering system as an extra add-on. I grow tomatoes, peppers and zucchini in them year round, as well as greens in the Winter and melons & cukes in the summer.

Here are EB toms growing against a south facing wall through Winter: