So easy,no bugs, digging, just water n miracle grow.

emstulips

oregon

The Topsy-Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter seems like a great idea. I tried several a couple summers ago, to save space. I hung them in a sunny spot next to my front porch. One big drawback is the amount of dirt needed to sustain the tomato plants. Yes, tomatoes do need a lot of dirt, but that make these planters very heavy. The tomatoes grew a lot of greens, but did not produce tomatoes, like the plants in the ground did. It was also difficult to reach up high enough to water these effectively.

KrissWE

USA

I saw these in advertisements everywhere (TV, magazines, internet) and thought I would give one a try. I really wasted my money. It takes quite a bit of potting soil to fill the container which makes the "planter" way too heavy to really be of any use. It is also extremely difficult and very damaging to the plants to get the plants in the container. But I put it all together, filled it, got the plants in, and then hung it (which was next to impossible to get it hung due to the weight). And you guessed it.....it fell from where I hung it and crashed to the ground damaging the plants even more. I'm sure others have used these successfully but I would not recommend this to anyone.

amaasing

Lone Tree, CO

I bought a couple topsy turvey planters because I thought it would be fun to watch them on my front porch. Have had a large garden but now just grow a couple pots of tomatoes. Very dissapointing results. The TTs need water every day, not every 2 or 3 days as in a pot. All the tomatoes in both TTs have brown areas on the bottom of the tomatoes. My digital cameras won't do closeups and my film camera was orphaned by Kodak last week. Imagine cutting a tomato in half and seeing the cut area as brown tomato skin. Two varieties of tomatoes have the same problem. Will probably throw the things in the trash.    GG in Waynesville OH

Gern

Waynesville, OH

We purchased 2 of the planters and 2 different plants, both plants have died...  This last set did last longer and actually got some tomatoes but they were rotten from the inside out.  The plants DON'T look anything like the commercial because the leaves have all tried to turn around to get the sun and the plant is curving to grow the correct vertical way.  So my poor plants have really struggled with this upside down thing. I don't recommend this item!  Again awesome ideal but not working....

AngelaSmith

Westerville, OH

TOPSY TURVY PLANER. I am not having good luck. My plants appear to be dying more each day. Every day I cut dead and withered leaves from the plant. I followed the directions to the T. Any suggestions.? Thumbs DOWN!!!

cuchera

Colorado Springs, CO

I purchased two topsy turver planters from the internet and used them this past summer.  The reason I bought these is because I live in a condo and only have a porch as a garden.  The floor of my porch is filled with colorful flowers, so using a topsy turvey seemed like the perfect solution for growing vegetables.  Once I received it I found the topsy turvey easy to assemble.  However it required a lot more dirt than I expected.  I put two tomato plants in one and two cucumber plants in the other.  I recommend having two people available when it comes time to hang the planters as they are very heavy. Unfortunatly my cucumbers and tomatos did not grow very well but I think it had more to do with the sun light and how much I watered it rather than the planter itself. I'd recomend these planters, however be forewarned they are not the most aesthetically pleasing piece of decoration.  My mom has used normal hanging baskets with moss in the past, and just cut holes for the tomatos to hang down from.  I think I will try that this year instead. Good Luck!

akklewer

Hartland, WI

Last year, I bought four Topsy Turvy upside-down planters so that I could grow some tomato plants on my patio.  It is a great space saver, I must admit.  It was a bit difficult adding the soil and the plants, quite messy as a matter of fact.  Other reviewers mentioned getting someone to help you, and I second that advice.  I hung the planters on my patio facing south, to take full advantage of the sun.  At first they did well.  The tomato plants (one per planter) grew and even started turning upward toward the sun.  I was pleased with the way they were looking.  About the time the summer heat kicked in, though, the tomato plants started suffering.  The planter itself was very hot during the day.  I think it was cooking my roots.  Within a week, the tomato plants died.  Not a single tomato from the lot of them, even though I had several flowers just a few weeks before.  My other tomato plants that I planted in the garden patch did great.  A bumper crop.  We have hot summers here, so those in the northern parts of the country may experience better results.

DragonTongue

Denton, TX

I have several upside-down planters on my patio - from the homemade to the stand-alones. The Topsy Turvy is my favorite one as it was the first one I tried. Using this planter couldn't be simpler. Carefully work a small tomato plant in the bottom. Add soil, tamping it down slightly. Water it in. Add more soil to fill and hang it up. You're done. The planter is very heavy. I had to add a sturdy hook to my patio ceiling to hold it. During the heat of the summer it does dry out a bit, but I simply water it twice a day when it is really hot. Because the plants and the planter never touch the ground, bugs and disease are less of an issue than they are with my tomatoes in my main garden. My tomatoes really don't look like the picture. Once the plant gets about a foot long, it starts to turn up and grow towards the sun; not down like their photos show. This helps to hide the green pot and also to shade the soil, conserving moisture. I also think it looks nicer aiming towards the sun. I would recommend this planter to anyone who wants fresh tomatoes and a cool looking hanging planter on their patio.

dreamcatcherdb

Denton, TX

I have tried to use these planters for several years now and when I get the plant in it they always seem to try to grow up not down, as shown in the pictures. Then the plants get so heavy they break off and die. This is a bad idea, plants are ment to grow righside up not upside down.

doughgirl49

Garrattsville, NY