Gardening & Landscaping
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Which Varieties of tomatoes? - Upside Down Planter
Does anyone have any recommendations or experience with upside down planters? Do certain varieties of tomatoes grow better upside down than others? My initial reaction would be to think that the smaller varieties (cherry/plum sized) would be best, but I thought I'd ask the experts! 
Re: Which Varieties of tomatoes? - Upside Down Planter
My mom bought one of those things last year, it did not do too well. My other concern with those Topsy Turvy planters is wind damage. I'd think those were more prone to being blown over during strong storms and wind gusts. If you anchor it to the house, I think it would do better.
But in general - I'm not a fan. Maybe someone else has one. But, I think most of the ladies here do square foot gardens or containers.
A neighbor of my parents had their planter collapse from the weight last year. I read an article about a couple of varieties that are best for these, but of course I can't find it now.
Is there a reason you want to grow them this way? I never really understood the benefits of it. I have grown them in pots in the past and that eliminates the weight issues.
I live in a 3rd Floor condo, so a ground garden is out of the question. I thought that the upside down variety might help keep away squirrels. Don't ask me how they manage to get all the way up to my balcony... but they do.
So if I used regular planter pots, are there certain kinds of tomatoes you would recommend for that?
I grew my tomatoes in pots last year on my patio. I found that the smaller grape tomatoes did a lot better than my larger tomato plant. The key to growing tomatoes in pots is water. You'll need to water them every day. I can't remember what size planter I used for my tomatoes, but it was a good sized pot. The one thing I wished I'd used was a self-watering container. The self-watering container holds water in a reservoir so in case you miss a day, the plant won't dry out. You can buy a regular planter and fit it with a conversion kit like this one.
As for keeping the squirrels away, I wrapped chicken wire around my pots. I think the stray cats in my neighborhood were attacking my plant. It's an inexpensive fix to protecting your harvest.
I planted one grape tomato plant, but found that I really needed two or three for a good harvest.
Instead of a self-watering container, you could get those "water spikes" that you screw a 2L bottle (full of water) into. That way, you just need to water every other day or everyday when it's really hot.
Also, I've protected my tomatoes using those clamshell containers you get strawberries & such in. You cut a little circle at the opening and then it make a clear, breathable "cage" over your tomatoes. My blog has a picture (post is Squirrel Proof the Tomatoes)
Of course, neither of these options is terribly attracive, but they are effective!
I had great success with upside down tomatoes. I grew some sort of cherry tomatoe and Moneymaker, which is an average sized sort. It was also fun.
You need a really really sturdy support. It helps to have a large bucket and just cut out a hole in the bottom big enough to get your tomatoe plant in. Its a bit tricky to plant (takes two people). I used a few coffee filters around the opening to keep the soil in on the bottom. I also planted thyme and parsley in the tops to keep the soil moist. And it goes well in pasta sauce!
A plus of growing tomaties upside down is not having to provide support. The vines grow very strong on their own. You'll need to keep them watered (as with any tomatoes in a container) and those spikes with a 2 liter work well.