Hanging tomato planters

[petesque]

Has anyone tried the tomato planters that hang upside down? I have only seen them on the TV ads and now that growing season is coming I was curious.

Pete

 

[bbally]

They work, but best with plum or cherries, bigger tomatoes do not work. Wife does up several with the romano tomato and that makes a nice basket.

 

[petesque]

Thanks for the info

pete

 

[carpetride]

Can you get them at retail locations or just on TV?

 

[rw willy]

Get a 5 gallon bucket with a handle. Cut a 2"-3" hole in the bottom. Line bottom with weed block. Cut small "X" in weed block.Either lower small tomato plant through "X", or push root ball up through "X". Suspend bucket at a reasonable height. Fill with potting soil and hang bucket were you want it. Water and place lid loosely but securely onto bucket. If you don't use a lid the soil may dry quickly, or during heavy rain bucket may water log.
If you are up north? Paint half of the bucket black. This will increase soil temps. When summer comes turn unpainted half south so you don't cook the roots.
Good luck

 

[rivet]

I knew I had seen this contraption before....

It's called the "Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter" and you can get it from the Jung catalogue for $15.95 (I'm ordering seeds this week, and I saw it in here). Not sure, but you may find it online at jungseed.com. Good luck!

 

[tasunkawitko]

thanks, willy!

 

[richoso1]

Thanks for sharing a great home style project. Very practical my friend. POINTS TO YOU!

 

[mco]

I've seen these for sale at home depot and K-Mart for $9.95

 

[fire it up]

I was just at Lowe's today and they had them for something like $9.95 also.
I wouldn't really trust them or ever use them unless you are absolutely unable to plant in the ground. Growing out of a pot would be even better I must assume. I believe the hanging baskets are nutrients and water, and even though some forms of hydroponics (which this sort of is) produce very well, when it comes to things like vegetables and fruits you grow and want the best flavor you can get you should always grow in soil.
Just my opinion as an amateur farmer but I would never use one of those hanging baskets for tomatoes if I had any other choice.

Just a few pics of this years grow. I have about a total of 200 something tomatoes growing, I lost count.

Roma, Moreton, Ramapo, Delicious, Goliath, Giant Belgium, German Giant, Hillbilly, Big Boy, Big Rainbow, Black Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Giant Pink Oxheart, Black from Tula, Behemoth king. Those are my current strains I have growing.



and some of the little seedlings...

 

[pineywoods]

My Dad has used the topsy turvey thing and it worked well for him. This year he found another plant stand that has holes for upside down tomatoes and also a planting area above that is right side up. Its about 2'x2' and sits about 40" from the base I think he said he got it at Sam's Club. It holds 4 or 6 upside down and he has planted herbs in the part that faces up right. Those that are gonna use the plastic bucket might try planting in the top of it too

 

[zapper]

These things ain't nothing new, well the concept anyways. I have to go with Fire it up though, only if you have no other way or you just want to experiment.

my favorite method is in the ground with a cylindrical cage made out of 6x6 welded wire mesh for concrete reinforcement (rewire) I go about 30" diameter and it stands like 5' tall (I wish it was more like 7 foot tall) I stake them out with a steel fence post


I have been thinking about running a straight line of rewire or hog wire and training the maters like grapes.

 

[c2s]

I tried the hanging bags for strawberries and didn't like them. They never really thrived. I'm guessing cause they seem to dry out a few hours after watered.

 

[fire it up]

Just found out from a confirmed professional source that the upside down hanging planters are a big scam. Basically they barely work and the fruit they do produce leaves a lot to be desired. They want to go in the ground and not hang upside down.

 

[trapper]

I use a cow panel. I just poke the vines through one of the holes every few days so the vine is woven back and forth as it grows. I use 3 t posts to support the panel which is 16 ft. long. I usually grow 6-9 plants on one panel, depending on variety. Of course this only works with the indeterminate varieties.

 

[fire it up]

trapper, do you have any pictures of how you did it you could share? I have somewhere around 100 tomato plants this year and have been looking into better ways to stake/trellis them beyond expensive cages. I have an idea I'm going to try but would love to see what you have done.

 

[trapper]

Sorry but I didn't take any pics. I think cow panels run about $22 each new so it won't be cheap for you but they will last forever. I have slightly raised beds in my garden, each is 4' X 16'. In the ones I grow vining crops in I drive 4 t posts down the center spaced evenly (about 5' apart.) I wire the panel to each t post, with the bottom of the panel about a foot off the ground, and this is my trellise. I grow pole beans, cucumbers, melons, etc as well as tomatoes on them so I have a 3-4 year rotation between crops without ever taking the panels down. Mine have been up close to 15 years now with no problems.
The beans and cucumbers climb on their own but the tomatos need help. You could tie them but as I walk through I just poke the growing end of the vine through the closest opening in the panel. When that vine has grown another foot or so I poke it back through another opening so it gets pushed back and forth as it grows up the panel.
I figure that either cleared things up or made you wish you never asked!

 

[mgwerks]

No, these hanging baskets use soil, not hydroponics. I can tell you that one big plus in using them is that depending on where you put them, it hlps keep critters out of your vegetables. I also understand (but have not tried it) that they work well for pepper plants, too.

 

[morkdach]

i tried to do this but the plant wants to grow towards the sun and it just makes a uwhey and heads up then it breaks off.
no worky for me tried twice.

 

[shellbellc]

Hey Fire it Up! I see that you have Ramapo tomatoes...have you planted these before? I ordered a couple plants of this type this year. Apparently these are the long ago cherished "jersey" tomatoes. I think it was Rutgers that brought them back from an old strain. I'm anxious to see how they are!