Has anyone tried a Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Tree Planter Kit basket?

Totts

Hi all,

I recently bought 2 x lycopersicon lycopersicum plants (cherry tomatoes of some sort) from Lidl and they're looking a bit ropey. I only have a tiny garden and have just bought some seeds from ebay to try planting around the small strips of earth I have got. I live alone and I am a vegetarian, so I am looking into getting a wormery/composter so I am very space concious. In addition to this I have Chihuahuas, and the plants are poisonous to them.

I've discovered a topsy turvey planter on ebay listed as

Seed Herb Upside Down Planter Kit basket on TV, they're much cheaper to bid on than buy it now but when I checked through the entire feedback no one has bought them so I am unaware as to how successful they are.

I have only just started growing my own herbs in pots and I am trying to get up to speed on everything, but there is a lot going on familywise for me at the moment and none of them are gardeners that I could ask for help. I wondered if anyone had an experience of this style of planting as well as advice on what to do to perk them up.

Thanks so much.

sb44

I'm trying upside down tomato plants at the minute but I haven't bothered buying anything special.

I got a couple of 10" hanging baskets from Poundland.

I have a Sungold growing from the bottom of one with 3 small basil plants in the top and one with a Tom Thumb in the top and a Maskotka growing from underneath.

The darker hanging baskets in Poundland have a small round hole in the bottom of the wicker so I just poked some holes in the plastic liner and one big enough for the stem of the young plant to go through.

I wasn't sure how to stop it falling out of the bottom so I used one of those small sponges (the ones with a thin green mesh on one side which I cut off), cut a thing V in it so that it fitted around the stem and put that at the bottom of the basket. I fed the plant through the hole which was a bit difficult with the Sungold as it was a bit bigger than the basket ones and filled with a mixture of compost and bits of cut up sponge to help retain the water. I could have used gel granules etc but was a bit tight and didn't want to spend any money on that.

:rolleyes:

Anyway, it is only a bit of an experiment.

The Sungold has grown quite a bit, is growing upwards towards the top of the basket and flowers are growing on it so I shall keep my fingers crossed that it ok.

I'll try and post some pics later.

Lotus-eater

Tried it, here's what I learnt.
It needs a big pot, like a bucket really and it also needs somewhere strong to hang it from.
It needs somewhere relatively wind free as the toms really don't like being upside down in the wind (mine snapped off).
I found it not worth it and would go for a proper basket tomato, in a basket,

I haven't heard it being a great success from anybody in this country, a few people have come up, said "what a brilliant idea, I'll get back to you next year with the results" and they never have,

Totts

Thanks so much for replying, I'm quite excited now. I hope you get to post pics!

As I am a total novice and mad busy at the moment I may see if I can get the planter cheap on an auction site, just in case I don't get time to customise a hanging basket - I've not got a poundland that near me either so I will let you know how I get on. I am working my way through the wormery thread at the moment - the can-o-worms ones seem to get the thumbs up, but again I haven't a clue what I am doing to know if I can get away with one made by a company I made enquiries through on ebay or if I should splash out and get the c-o-w one? The one I was looking at comes with everything and is under £20 and looks like a little plastic bin, but the c-o-w ones have layers and I need to read more on the worm thread to see if this means I just get to take a tray of nice compost out easily as opposed to rummaging around in a small bin if I go for the cheap option. I've only just discovered wormeries (yesterday) as I got fed up with my local council being rubbish with recyling.

What should I put in with my toms - compost, earth, baby bio and gel granules? Also if I get the baby bio do I need the compost or is fresh earth enough.

I need to get a good city/spacesaver gardening book actually.

Davesnave

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Tried it, here's what I learnt.
It needs a big pot, like a bucket really and it also needs somewhere strong to hang it from.
It needs somewhere relatively wind free as the toms really don't like being upside down in the wind (mine snapped off).
I found it not worth it and would go for a proper basket tomato, in a basket,

I haven't heard it being a great success from anybody in this country, a few people have come up, said "what a brilliant idea, I'll get back to you next year with the results" and they never have,

Well, you tried!:rotfl:

foreign_correspondent

yeah you are right about the plants being poisonous to dogs, however, my dog, who eats everything (literally, fruit, veg, pea plants, pak choi plants etc etc! - and who adores ripe tomatoes) has never tried to eat or even nibble a bit if a tomato plant and she is always in the greenhouse with me. I reckon the plants dont smell very appetising to dogs.

If I were you I would plant them in a couple of buckets, if your dogs are chihauhas they will not be able to reach the plants anyway!

sb44

sb44 wrote: »

I'm trying upside down tomato plants at the minute but I haven't bothered buying anything special.

I got a couple of 10" hanging baskets from Poundland.

I have a Sungold growing from the bottom of one with 3 small basil plants in the top and one with a Tom Thumb in the top and a Maskotka growing from underneath.

The darker hanging baskets in Poundland have a small round hole in the bottom of the wicker so I just poked some holes in the plastic liner and one big enough for the stem of the young plant to go through.

I wasn't sure how to stop it falling out of the bottom so I used one of those small sponges (the ones with a thin green mesh on one side which I cut off), cut a thing V in it so that it fitted around the stem and put that at the bottom of the basket. I fed the plant through the hole which was a bit difficult with the Sungold as it was a bit bigger than the basket ones and filled with a mixture of compost and bits of cut up sponge to help retain the water. I could have used gel granules etc but was a bit tight and didn't want to spend any money on that.

:rolleyes:

Anyway, it is only a bit of an experiment.

The Sungold has grown quite a bit, is growing upwards towards the top of the basket and flowers are growing on it so I shall keep my fingers crossed that it ok.

I'll try and post some pics later.

Here you are.





The top ones are basket, bush , types of tomatoes but Sungold need to be staked so hence the size.

sb44

Look how the Sugold one has turned and bent to reach for the light.

Lotus-eater

Davesnave wrote: »

Well, you tried!:rotfl:

Yeah

I do wonder why I bother sometimes Even a thanks is great to those of us who desire a reason to be alive

Zazen999

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Yeah

I do wonder why I bother sometimes Even a thanks is great to those of us who desire a reason to be alive

Thanked you

I also tried it. :rolleyes:

a - they grew as much towards the light as they could

b - could I get the water to stay in the soil - no I flippin couldn't. Sponges, cloths, watering a little and often, watering alot and not so often, watering alot and often - the water ran straight out the hole that the toms were growing out of and down the leaves.

I hadn't actually spend any cash on a proper grower but the principle is the same.

Just use a bucket, and let them grow up - or a hanging basket if no room for the bucket.

That's my advice

bettyboo1963

I bought the topsy turvy tomato planter last year and hung it on my pergola and it did really well. The plant hung down but grew up towards the light but i had loads of tomatoes and gave loads away.