• Register  |
  • LoginLogin
Close
Login
 
 
Register
 Advanced search
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
  • JOIN!
  • View unanswered posts
  • View active topics
  • Gardening
Gardening Forum   VEGETABLE GARDENING DISCUSSION FORUMS  TOMATO FORUM

Growing tomatoes...upside down??




Post a new topic
Post a reply
22 posts • Page 1 of 1

Growing tomatoes...upside down??

Mon May 05, 2008 12:11 am

Does anybody do this? I'm tight for space and a sucker for convincing marketing. Should I try it?
Urban gardeners unite!
LikeMarigold
Full Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: May 4 '08
Location: Newark, NJ
Top

Mon May 05, 2008 12:48 am

Yep, but don't buy one..........google for it, there are all kinds of directions on how to make a cheapy out of a 5 gal bucket........LOL they have them for peppers also ;)
doccat5

I'd rather be gardening!
doccat5
Green Thumb
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Apr 3 '08
Location: VA
Top

Mon May 05, 2008 4:46 am

I've never done it myself but, several of our members have done it over the years.

I have done tomatoes in hanging baskets though, and it works like a trick!
opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
 
Posts: 4659
Joined: Oct 21 '04
Location: Victoria, BC
Top

Re: Growing tomatoes...upside down??

Mon May 26, 2008 9:31 pm

LikeMarigold wrote:Does anybody do this? I'm tight for space and a sucker for convincing marketing. Should I try it?
there is a variety called i think tumbler or tumbledown good for hanging baskets.
he who knows all does not exist
wurzelgummidge
Full Member
 
Posts: 37
Joined: May 26 '08
Location: dorset
Top

Tomatoes

Tue May 27, 2008 12:13 am

My neighbor's mom made her own out of 5 gal ice cream buckets, I think and had great success...Another friend of mine bought the commercial ones and she is having a problem keeping them watered. Don't know how they will produce yet, it's too early in the season. Good luck!
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to plant and a time to uproot. Eccl 3:1&2b
User avatar
JPlovesflowers
Senior Member
 
Posts: 132
Joined: Apr 30 '08
Location: Northwest Arkansas
Top

Tue May 27, 2008 9:19 pm

I bought the Upside Down Gardener from Hammacher Schlemmer last year and I got zero tomatoes from it. The herbs grew great on top. I am trying it again this year since I already spent $80.00 on the contraption!
:?
Brandywine

Eat, Sleep, Garden and ... then Eat What You've Grown!
Brandywinegirl
Senior Member
 
Posts: 143
Joined: May 25 '08
Location: East Coast
Top

Tue May 27, 2008 9:54 pm

Yikes! That's a lot of money! I hope they work!


Is Brandywine your favourite Heirloom? I've never actually done that one.
Feed the soil, not the plants.
opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
 
Posts: 4659
Joined: Oct 21 '04
Location: Victoria, BC
Top

Tue May 27, 2008 10:02 pm

I know - crazy!!! :shock:

Yes, I do love Brandywine tomatoes - they are my favorite. I am trying quite a few heirlooms this year - I got them from QVC. We'll see how it goes.

:)
Brandywine

Eat, Sleep, Garden and ... then Eat What You've Grown!
Brandywinegirl
Senior Member
 
Posts: 143
Joined: May 25 '08
Location: East Coast
Top

Tue May 27, 2008 10:57 pm

You know last year I was living in a town called Qualicum and at the local supermarket they were selling heirloom tomatoes. I was really happy to see that.

Here in Victoria the only place that I know where to get them is at our local organic nursery.

And to grow them from seed myself.

Opabinia
Feed the soil, not the plants.
opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
 
Posts: 4659
Joined: Oct 21 '04
Location: Victoria, BC
Top

Re: Tomatoes

Wed May 28, 2008 4:11 pm

JPlovesflowers wrote:My neighbor's mom made her own out of 5 gal ice cream buckets, I think and had great success...Another friend of mine bought the commercial ones and she is having a problem keeping them watered. Don't know how they will produce yet, it's too early in the season. Good luck!
i found a watering device in a kleeneze catalogue which is a upside down bottle with a drip spout attached which you stick in to plant pot and get slow release of water,still waiting for delivery though. :D
he who knows all does not exist
wurzelgummidge
Full Member
 
Posts: 37
Joined: May 26 '08
Location: dorset
Top

Thu May 29, 2008 1:09 pm

Opabinia, I bought heirloom tomatoes last night at Wal-Mart. You might give it a look.
Jenny C
User avatar
JennyC
Green Thumb
 
Posts: 310
Joined: May 15 '08
Location: NW Georgia
Top

Hanging basket query

Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:24 pm

Hi there,

This is my first year growing tomatoes (and first time posting)... I bought Early Girls and Grape tomatoes. My question has to do with the Grapes... my stepmom suggested growing them in a hanging basket, but I'm not sure how this works. Someone mentioned they've done and it worked great, so I would love some tips.

My stalks are already about a foot tall and I'm worried that once planted the stalks will just break off when they start to bend/fall over. Should I have bought them smaller or started from seed to grow them this way? Or am I worrying for nothing?

Also, our backyard faces south, so lots of sun and also pretty windy since we are near the water, so I would also worry about them getting blown around too much.

I have 6 stalks of the grape tomatoes... how many can I plant in one container or should they each have their own?

Thanks in advance- all advice is appreciated!
jules26
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 4
Joined: May 24 '08
Location: Newport, RI
Top

hanging tomato's

Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:29 pm

I have 3-4 different kinds in a upside planter. I went the cheep way. Got the plants from Wal Mart, potting soil from Wal Mart and I used the hanging baskets for 4.99 that I foundin their garden center. The baskets are the kind that has the coconut liners in them. I slit the liner in a X fashon in the center and eased down the stem from the inside. That will leave the root ball in 1 piece. Only used 1 plant per basket and it's working great so far...
Rowlett Don
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Jun 2 '08
Location: Rowlett, Texas
Top

Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:30 am

Oh wow, so the plant is actually upside down? I've been thinking about this all wrong then :) I was thinking of a hanging basket where the flowers simply grow over the edges and thought it would be the same for the tomatoes. It never occured to me to plant them upside down. Veeery interesting, but I like! Thanks for the input!
jules26
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 4
Joined: May 24 '08
Location: Newport, RI
Top

Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:50 am

Here's my upside-down tomato setup. Sorry all the photos are slightly on the dark side since I took them early in the morning and the sun wasn't high enough yet. At least part of it. I'm not done getting them all arranged. Some of the tomatoes I planted from seed are still too small, so a couple more weeks for them. I'll take more photos later.
"Love all God's creatures, the animals, the plants. Love everything to perceive the divine mystery in all." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky
cheshirekat
Senior Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: May 13 '08
Location: Denver, CO (zone 5)
Top

Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:26 am

thanks for the picture cheshirekat :D How did you get the holes in the bottom of the buckets?

My stepmom plants hers like regular hanging baskets. I think I'm going to try both ways (hanging basket and bucket), plus a 'control group' in pots in case the other two don't work out... lol

My early girls are already flowering, so I'm pretty excited... can't wait to not buy from the market!
jules26
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 4
Joined: May 24 '08
Location: Newport, RI
Top

Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:08 am

To get the holes in the buckets, I had the hubby use his power tools. I get him to put extra drainage holes in my containers and new holes for buckets and other <i>containers</i> don't already have holes. I got a few cracked containers when he rushes.
"Love all God's creatures, the animals, the plants. Love everything to perceive the divine mystery in all." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky
cheshirekat
Senior Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: May 13 '08
Location: Denver, CO (zone 5)
Top

buckets

Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:57 am

I started my 1st attempt using a plastic bucket and here is what I found. I made the hole about 2" across and added several small drain holes. The main hole size was for the plant stem to grow and to prevent the dirt or root ball from working out. I added some plastic wrap between the stem and the outer sides of the hole to keep the dirt in and to allow expansion. What I found was the wind would constantly work the stem and the plants would die. I plan on trying it again when it cools down with a different filler between the stem and the outer side of the hole. I just need to find the right combination of materials. I also used the hanging plant basket with the coconut lining from Wal Mart and that is working fine.
Rowlett Don
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Jun 2 '08
Location: Rowlett, Texas
Top

Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:05 am

A two inch hole sounds big to me. I think mine is only slight larger than an inch. I had to work the stems gently through the holes, but didn't want to see the soil falling out without having to use filler. The filler I planned to use, if it was necessary was newspaper.

I am not seeing harm from the wind of my plants. Maybe your plants were weakened by something else? Are you fertilizing them? Was there residue in the bucket before you planted? Are you over watering? Maybe bone meal and egg shells will strengthen them? I also shake the stem a little bit - heard someone say it encourages pollination from the bees. It does seem to release the tomato scent. But that could be my imagination. I've been doing it when the main stem is as fat as my finger - I think it stimulates the circulation for stronger main stem.

Because tomatoes can be sensitive about too much sun, and gusts of wind, maybe you can try a spot where they will get a little bit of shelter or shade?

I'm not sure what else to suggest. I haven't been doing a lot of fussing with mine. I do talk to them a lot and spend time making them feel like famous stars taking their photos. I've brushed against them quite often with no damage. I'm no expert, but am planning to setup a few more of my tomato plants now that the first are doing well. I'd be interested in your solutions in case I run into problems. I love my tomatoes and it fills me with fear to think of losing them.
"Love all God's creatures, the animals, the plants. Love everything to perceive the divine mystery in all." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky
cheshirekat
Senior Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: May 13 '08
Location: Denver, CO (zone 5)
Top

upsode down plants

Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:19 pm

Yes I have grown upside tomatoe plants and they came out fairly well... They kind of grow toward the sun so make sure there in alot of sun and not in a shaded area..
ssagona
Newly Registered
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Jun 11 '08
Location: Monessen Pa
Top

Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:24 am

My upside-down setup is kind of unique because I can turn the buckets. That way the plants won't get too lopsided facing toward the sun all the time. There is some shade under the buckets and the tomatoes actually look more healthy with some respite from the hot, high-altitude sun we have here.

A couple of the tomatoes I have in containers on the ground seem to tilt away from the sun. They are in direct sun and planted with basil. I keep finding them leaning toward the basil and bending over. Like a low curtsy. I think I will start turning those containers more often to make the stems stronger instead of bent in one direction so much. They are all different varieties of tomatoes and basil and it doesn't matter if the basil is away from the sun or not - the tomato plants all lean toward the basil. At first I tried to position them so the tomato was always getting the direct sun until I realized they would rather lean toward the basil. Interesting relationship.

I would plant basil on each side of the tomatoes but don't want to crows the roots. In the UPD tomato setup, the basil is planted at the opening in the top end. I wonder how basil feels planted upside down - perhaps the columnar basil would be a good candidate for this.
"Love all God's creatures, the animals, the plants. Love everything to perceive the divine mystery in all." -Fyodor Dostoyevsky
cheshirekat
Senior Member
 
Posts: 264
Joined: May 13 '08
Location: Denver, CO (zone 5)
Top

Sun Jun 22, 2008 1:56 pm

Last year I made my own upside down buckets, out of kitty litter pails.
The hole was made with a hole saw . I planted them right side up through the hole, then used a hole saw one size larger to make a soft plug out of a piece of pool noodle. this made a soft gasket around the stem and stopped any soil falling out.
I grew them right side up for two weeks to make sure they were established then flipped them over and hung them from the garage.
I grew the same strain upside down and normal... both in the same soil mix , same size buckets, same ferts and watering schedule... the upside down bucket produced 4x the tomatoes the regular oned did...

I'm trying to find a pic...
Don't just Go through life
Grow through life
User avatar
Shaggy
Full Member
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Apr 6 '08
Top

Please Share. Thank you!

 
 
Top


Post a reply
22 posts • Page 1 of 1

 

 

  •   Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • Upside down tomatoes?
    in TOMATO FORUM
    5
    982
    by rainbowgardener View the latest post
  • Growing Tomatoes with no Sun
    in TOMATO FORUM
    6
    1258
    by BeginerLuck View the latest post
  • New to growing tomatoes Attachment(s)
    in TOMATO FORUM
    3
    511
    by Ninjakatz View the latest post
  • When can I start growing tomatoes?
    in TOMATO FORUM
    9
    897
    by JayPoc View the latest post
  • Growing Tomatoes Indoors
    in TOMATO FORUM
    2
    1066
    by rainbowgardener View the latest post
  • Growing Tomatoes for first time Attachment(s)
    in TOMATO FORUM
    27
    1666
    by TareqPhoto View the latest post
Return to TOMATO FORUM
  • Delete all board cookies • All times are UTC
Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Copyright HelpfulGardener.com 2003-2018 all rights reserved.
All trademarks and copyrights held by respective owners.