Topsy Turvy Tomatoes

alicat32908

Hi ladies,

I'm a lurker with a question.  Last year I tried planting a garden and had some success with tomatoes and herbs. Everything else was a bust.  After spending $200 in startup costs and then getting hit with a $200+ water bill, I decided that if I can't grow it on my deck in a container, I'm not growing it at all.  I kind of want to try the Topsy Turvy tomatoes.  Has anybody had success with them?

nitaw

First, keep in mind that gardening is all about trial and error. Usually, you'd want to start off small and then do larger projects.

Second, did you keep a journal to figure out what went wrong with your plants? For example, last year wasn't a good year for my tomatoes. It got super hot, they stopped producing and then I had an onslaught of tomato hornworms. If you keep a garden journal, you can figure out what worked and what didn't and how your plants responded to to the weather or pests.

I started out with a container garden before doing raised beds. Keep in mind that you will need to water your tomatoes a LOT. Containers dry out quickly in the southern heat.

I've not used a topsy turvey before. My mom used it last year, but she didn't have great results. It dried out pretty fast on her. I think a few other people on the board have used them, so hopefully they will chime in.

another KT

My mom and I have both had really good success with the topsy turvy tomatoes and a friend also grows cucumbers in hers with good success.  They do dry out quick.  Ditto the previous poster on containers needing more water than if plants are in the ground and gardening is a learning experience.  As for the price of water, use a rain barrel.  Gardening doesn't have to be expensive.  Make your own compost.  Find a local source for manure.  By nursery stock in the fall when it goes on sale.  Some local garden clubs have sales where plants are cheaper than at nurseries.  Some garden clubs also have plant and seed swaps.  Check craiglist for cheaper plants and supplies; I've even seen where people will let you dig up their plants for free if they are relandscpaing.  I make my own plant supports from materials laying around.

alliapistor

I tried the topsy turvy for the first time last year.  Like others have said - it dries out very quickly.  Even more quicly than my containers.  So you need to water daily.  I had fewer tomatoes than from my ground plants and they were smaller.

I also had a problem with birds, who kept building a nest in the top of the topsy turvy.  So if you get one, you should cover the top hardware cloth or some type of fabric.

J234

I had a Topsy Turvy last summer and it was great!  I got a ton of cherry tomatoes. We didn't have a problem with it drying out too much, but we watered about 4x a week.