Have any of you heard of, or, owned a product called a Topsy-Turvy. It's a cylinder shaped object and you plant the tomatoe plant one one end and it gets fed and watered fron the other. Then you hang it up somewhere. It's supposed to be hung up so it doesn't touch the ground. It supposedly gives you 30lbs of full ripe, good tasting tomatoes.
Whatcha think?
Topsy-Turvy?
10 years ago someone was growing toms that way using a 5gallon spaklingcompound bucket. It did pretty good.
I'm not willing to pay what TopsyTurvy wants for the thing.
Its a gamble, hope anyone who does grow toms that way will let us know how it worked.
My feelings are the same for the recent ads on TV for the 8 foot tomato vines that produce those softball sized toms.
I just really doubt that will happen for the average gardener.
Look on the Tomato Forum. There have been several posts there on Topsy-Turvies and alternatives. My own conclusion (from a home-made version) is that it is amusing to have a fruiting tomato plant hanging in your sun room in February, but suited only to small or cherry tomatoes, needs frequent watering (water absorbent gels help), and doesn't produce as much as a conventionally grown plant.
I don't have them but the few people that do agree that they are just good for cherry tomatoes.
Don't waste your time.
yeah I have two of them... they are a waste of money... plants starting growing just fine... didn't produce much and the birds & chimpmunks put so much stress landing on them... they were 5 foot off the ground and sagged down to the ground the second any fruits formed ... the ones I had in upright containers did much much better