Digging The Trench

The Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter has caused quite a buzz in the gardening community with it’s promise to make tomato gardening easy. They claim that by growing your tomato plants upside down that you can get rid of many of the problems associated with growing tomatoes. No more worrying that your tomatoes will get to heavy for your plant, no more bugs, and the ability to easily pick your tomatoes with out having to crawl around the plant and dig through the branches but does it really live up to the hype?

The Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter: the pros and cons

Pros– It hangs upside down so the weight of your growing tomatoes will not topple over your plant.

Cons– Even though it is hanging upside down the possibility still exists that the branches will turn into a tangles mess.

Pros- - You end up with more free space in your garden because your tomato plants are hanging up off of the ground.

Cons — Because it hangs upside down you will need to have a place to put it that has very good support. With all the dirt and water up on top, the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter can get very heavy.

Watering your tomato plant is another thing. Because the dirt isn’t buried in the ground it will dry out fairly quickly and you will have to water it around two times a day.

Pros– You are easily able to pick your tomatoes off of the plant without having to bend down or crawl around the plant to find the tomatoes in the middle of the plant.

Cons– Because the tomato plants are not grown the traditional way, the dirt can get very hot. To avoid cooking the roots put aluminum foil around the planter to reflect some of the sunlight.

Pros– It is easy to water the tomato plants. Just make sure to run water through it until it is clear every week or so to reduce the risk of the roots growing mold.