baricat wrote:Not just adequate light, but you will have to pollinate the flowers yourself, since you won't have an wind or bees to do the job for you. If you don't, the flowers will just wither and fall off with no tomatoes.

You get bonus points if you dance around in a bee costume listening to Blind Melon whilst pollinating your tomatoes.

Sully2001 wrote:HAHA!

Actually, that's exactly what I use to water the tomato plants in my Topsy Turvies! Works great. You have to fill them just about every day, as down here in FL the plants are really thirsty.

The Topsy Turvy planters work great down here. I planted two plants 3 weeks ago, and already have 6 green tomatoes growing by leaps and bounds daily. From a single 4" stalk, they have gone to huge, bushy plants in 3 weeks time. Can't believe the growth! But I'm in south FL, and daytime temps are running 85 degrees with full sunshine every day.

The hubs rigged up a pulley system for me so I can raise and lower for planting and fertilizing, and he hung them off heavy S hooks on the top shelf of a food service metal rolling rack/storage shelf (sold at BJs or Sam's.) I can roll them easily in out of bad weather, or to catch the sun a little better. By rotating the rack daily, the growth is evenly distributed.

Plants have a tendency to "climb" up the green planter area, but it looks like the weight of the growing fruit will bring them back down, like the picture.

The sun's heat acts like a mini greenhouse for the roots, which is why I'd imagine the plants are so happy. I've tried to grow them in the ground here, and never had any luck. Couldn't keep them evenly moist all the time, in the wilting heat. The TT planters are, down here at least, uber suh-WEET!

[quote postid="4438814" user="baricat"]Actually, that's exactly what I use to water the tomato plants in my Topsy Turvies! Works great. You have to fill them just about every day, as down here in FL the plants are really thirsty.

This was referring to using Aqua Globes. Ugh! I feel like an infomercial director's dream. But hey, what can I say? They work.

I used these for the first time last year. Cherry tomatoes in one and romas in the other. Both did very well, better than the same varieties in the ground. Plus, this is the only sure way to beat the gophers (I think they have ladders to get over the in-ground fencing). Hung them from a garden shed eave using a chain. I used a drip watering hook up that watered twice daily, I forget the vater volume. Since the soil gets sun and heats, the soil dries out quickly. Overall, my plants looked as good or better that the ads. Toward the end of October, the romas got blossom end rot and the cherry tomatoes on the ground (6+ feet below the plant base) got bugs.

I prefer the AeroGarden - may cost more but I can keep it inside (initially at least, depending on the plant) and the yield is great.

baricat wrote:Actually, that's exactly what I use to water the tomato plants in my Topsy Turvies! Works great. You have to fill them just about every day, as down here in FL the plants are really thirsty.

The Topsy Turvy planters work great down here. I planted two plants 3 weeks ago, and already have 6 green tomatoes growing by leaps and bounds daily. From a single 4" stalk, they have gone to huge, bushy plants in 3 weeks time. Can't believe the growth! But I'm in south FL, and daytime temps are running 85 degrees with full sunshine every day.

The hubs rigged up a pulley system for me so I can raise and lower for planting and fertilizing, and he hung them off heavy S hooks on the top shelf of a food service metal rolling rack/storage shelf (sold at BJs or Sam's.) I can roll them easily in out of bad weather, or to catch the sun a little better. By rotating the rack daily, the growth is evenly distributed.

Plants have a tendency to "climb" up the green planter area, but it looks like the weight of the growing fruit will bring them back down, like the picture.

The sun's heat acts like a mini greenhouse for the roots, which is why I'd imagine the plants are so happy. I've tried to grow them in the ground here, and never had any luck. Couldn't keep them evenly moist all the time, in the wilting heat. The TT planters are, down here at least, uber suh-WEET!

Don't get smug with that 85 degree stuff. It's going to be 85 this weekend in Buffalo. (43 on Saturday and 42 on Sunday.)

For the farmer with limited options.

These planters can be difficult to deal with if you don't have a bit of background first. For any substantial fruit growth, you must be diligent pruning the plant's excess leaf growth, or your produce will be tiny and few in number.

I recommend the use of fertilizer as well. Use of these tactics in my experience will generally produce some decent results.

These are really bad for the plant... There's a reason that plants grow up. And even if they are upside down they will still try to grow up and this will use all their energy. They won't be able to grow as well as they could.

jojoinnit wrote:So do these work with uh... "any plant?" *ahem*

I wouldn't suggest it for that kind of plant but for tomatoes and strawberries these work great! even indoors!

agentxnine wrote:hahaha tomatoes! great deal, or the greatest deal?

$5 at Big Lots....

Water everyday.... or you'll not bear fruit.

Anybody know how long this thing may get? For purposes of deciding where it can hang, I would need to know how low the plant may hang.

These things do not work!! I've never known anyone to have success. After I bought the potting soil (Miracle Grow) and the plants, all I got off of it was one Jatravartid, very small tomato. That was the most expensive $10 tomato I've ever eated and it wasn't that good.

Assassin15 wrote:Does anyone know if those slicers actually work? If you've ever sliced a tomato, you know you need something rather sharp, elsewise the tomato kind of gets smushed. And from the picture, that slicer does NOT look sharp.

I'm not sure if you are joking but the "slicer" is a slicing guide. You provide your own (sharp) knife to go in the grooves. The slicer just helps you make uniform parallel slices.

I'm picturing someone trying to slice a tomato by squeezing it with that contraption. :-)

lithekitty wrote:These are really bad for the plant... There's a reason that plants grow up. And even if they are upside down they will still try to grow up and this will use all their energy. They won't be able to grow as well as they could.

What is the reason that plants grow upwards? Could it possibly be due to the lack of dirt in the sky?

Will these work right side up?

Two comments:
1. Not that I've done it.. but an amateur marijuana grower would want to avoid using this to grow their own homemade stash. You're better off doing it like the pros and using a aerogarden. That'll be a better tool; not that I'm advocating the topic.
2. The included "slicer" is a template for slicing. You provide the knife or slicing utensil and it just guides you to making slices. I prefer to slice a little thick and go with every other knotch.

suzaroni wrote:Hey now...I grew cherry tomatoes in one of these last year, up in Northern Minnesota where there is a short growing season, and loved it. I got tons of tomatoes!! I put one plant in the bottom upside down and one in the top.

I've had almost no luck growing tomatoes upside down; tried 2 years and got about 12 small tomatoes out of 8 plants. Could you tell us what soil you use?
thanks

quadratimkreis wrote:What is the reason that plants grow upwards? Could it possibly be due to the lack of dirt in the sky?

Its called sunlight...plants grow towards it.
and I had one..if you water it regularly...they will grow.

bundarules wrote:Another scam...they don't work...gravity gets in the way

Really? I guess someone forgot to tell mine not to work- they're working like a dream. I have tomatoes and herbs growing like crazy.

sold out! i shouldn't have waited til my lunch break to check woot, dangit!

hungrybill wrote:I've had almost no luck growing tomatoes upside down; tried 2 years and got about 12 small tomatoes out of 8 plants. Could you tell us what soil you use?
thanks

I used the Miracle Grow Moisture Control soil, with Aqua Globes to supply constant moisture. So far, it's working really well with these planters. The plants are growing like gangbusters and putting out cascades of blossoms (many of which I pinch off so as to grow bigger fruit.)

rcraig wrote:I'm not sure if you are joking but the "slicer" is a slicing guide. You provide your own (sharp) knife to go in the grooves. The slicer just helps you make uniform parallel slices.

I'm picturing someone trying to slice a tomato by squeezing it with that contraption. :-)

Haha... I feel stoopid now. My mom has a slicer for bread that looks like that, and I shoulda thought of that.

You could just do what we do. Find a couple of those green hanging baskets and cut out the little plastic thing on the bottom so that you have an open hole. Then carefully put the tomato through the hole (upside down, of course). We grow cherry and grape tomatoes this way every year and get a lot of tomatoes from them.

Damn. I missed out on these. I spent too much time writing up my experience and not enough time buying.

blueconversechucks wrote:Damn. I missed out on these. I spent too much time writing up my experience and not enough time buying.

Oh well I guess I'll just make my own.

There's still the up-in-the-air strawberry garden on sellout.woot.com if you're jonesing for an upsidedown gardening fix.

Myself, I bought three sets of *each* -- tomato and strawberry both -- for my future son-in-law who loves them. He's a Horticulture major, so he knows all the little things you have to know to do, like planting a seedling to start, and remembering to water the thing. (My aversion to watering is a large reason for my notoriously brown thumb.) There's a strawberry one hanging from a tree in the front yard that's been producing strawberries for a couple of weeks.

[quote postid="4438186" user="zephalis"]Although these are a novel concept, they do not work well simply because they fight the very mechanisms that cause plants to thrive....

Regarding the whole post: Thank you that was very informative and I will waste my money on putting a whole in a bucket instead.

thanks for the reviews guys! I almost bought some of the strawberry ones on Sellout.woot... Now glad I didn't.

BTW...if you are going to make your own version with a bucket...just put the thing on the ground and grow it like it's supposed to be.

[Sorry Woot...love you guys but I have to be adament and protect my fellow wooters (esp the new ones)]

By the time I finally decided I wanted another one of these it sold out )= /fail.

Assassin15 wrote:Does anyone know if those slicers actually work? If you've ever sliced a tomato, you know you need something rather sharp, elsewise the tomato kind of gets smushed. And from the picture, that slicer does NOT look sharp.

The slicer is just for holding the tomatoes, you use a knife to slice the tomato through the notches on the sides. Probably best to just slice them by hand.

Wow...I got two quality posts last night! I feel like NightGhost! Except he never openly doubts the sanity of Woot 9o).

Does anyone know where he is? I've been on hiatus for a while because I've been financially pickled but as much as I love that mr 1000+ quality posts is also not posting, I gotta worry about the guy...he is family after all!

FranklinS wrote:When suspended properly, they are at just the right height for browsing deer. The deer can help themselves without having to bend over.

rofl (lit)...thanks for that 9o)

migelito wrote:tried it and the on i got fell apart multiple times. it couldn't take the weight long enough to get anything to grow. you are better off getting a bucket and drilling a hole. upside-down planting works reasonably well, but the gimmicky products are far worse than the ones you can make yourself.

lolz...that's what you get for buying hardy plants 9o)

mdroesner wrote:Secret is how you layer your "soil". It is all about water retention. Use alternating layers of potting soil, water retaining potting mix, finely ground mulch and, if you want, add landscape fabric. This keeps the water from passing straight through and keeps the bag moist. Water every morning and late afternoon (not too late to prevent mold).

Or you could just put them in the ground like everyone else. Just sayin'...

ramman54 wrote:Don't waste your money. Never produced and not worth the time. They should be sued for false advertising.

I'm pretty sure they were...which explains this low of a price everywhere.

But I really need to shut up or were gonna see this thing 2 or 3 times during the next wootoff.

So yes...these are the best planters on the planet...y'all need to ...::snickers:: no can't even keep a straight face typing that.

Speaking of wootoffs...I need another Sansa....hint hint...

Gravity is a powerful force. After 3 days of hanging upside down, tomato plants head back up towards the sun. Birds and squirrels like to call them home. I ended up placing a brick part on the top that they could not remove. Watering is a daily issue: any you add runs to the wall and pours right out. In the end, I made a mockery of it all by taking a cutting, rooting it, and starting my FOURTH PLANTING OF THE SEASON with the cutting. I give these away as gag gifts when I find them at Kroger for $2. But I don't want to brag!

sdean wrote:They worked but.......
Tomatoes require steady, even watering and a lot of it, at *least* once a day and never, ever, miss a watering...there's not enough soil in these. I can't get my family to water stuff reliably when I am away, and so these didn't work for me. If you were retired and never left your house during the growing season they'd be great, but...
A plant that requires less watering and will tolerate sporadic watering (tomatoes break open in a line from hydrostatic pressure if you give them a lot of water after being droughted) like maybe peppers might work fine. I am about to try a variant of these for strawberries and see how that goes....

Or you could invest in a micro-irrigation setup and make your money back in a couple seasons...

These are SUPER heavy. You will need the Topsy Turvy stand or some other super strong stand.