commentr: Very nice!!!!! Not that I'm into gardening or anything.
about 27 minutes ago
keira95: @Amberleigh_Jack yes me too. Also gardening or cooking. I will do almost anything for money right now
about 3 hours ago
beowuff: @feliciaday demand they pulp tomatoes for you or you'll return the fries to the kitchen! Also, what place so I can avoid?
about 3 hours ago
JackFreedom: @feliciaday are they against tomatoes, or red condiments? That's like selling soda without carbonation.
about 3 hours ago
educatedpalates: @lifebeginsat30 Let me know if you ever want help with a project or to trade things. I have tons of tomatoes, jam, pickles and chutney.
about 3 hours ago
Follow us on Twitter ...
 |
My upside down tomato garden was a bust. |
 | By Molly Snyder Edler   OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Molly Snyder Edler |
| Published Aug. 31, 2009 at 5:20 a.m. |
|
There are two Topsy Turvy tomato planters in our yard, and although for a while it really seemed like they were on the verge of abundance, we ended up with only one large tomato in one of the upside down planters and two smaller ones in the other.
In general, we have good luck with vegetables. We share a garden with our neighbors that -- year after year -- produces carrots, radishes, lettuce, peppers, herbs, chard, onions and yes, even tomatoes. But these Topsy Turvys have us wondering if we suffered a momentary amputation of our green thumbs or if the contraptions just don't really work.
On the Web site, they cost $19.99, but at most garden stores, they were $9.99. Still, for 10 bucks each -- plus the cost of soil and water -- three fruits is a pathetic yield. Especially when the Web site boasts they give "up to 30 pounds of deliciously ripe tomatoes per plant."
We might give them a whirl again next year if we can figure out what went wrong. They got plenty of sun, which is key to the process because it's supposed to work like a small greenhouse, and they got plenty of water. (Could they have gotten too much water?)
It's perplexing, and I would love to hear how your Topsy Turvys did this summer. Were they tomato challenged like mine or is it Bruschetta City at your place?
|
11 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by Captool73 on Sept. 1, 2009 at 6:51 a.m. (report)
We have one--and planted cherry tomatos. Now, we have an abundance of them, all riprening and in good shape.
| Rate this: |
Posted by karebear on Aug. 31, 2009 at 4:34 p.m. (report)
I live in a condo with a tiny yard, so these seemed like they'd be ideal for me. But I read a number of reviews on it first, and none of them were good. So needless to say, I never bought on. And as far as too much or not enough water. It's mostly not enough, as it all drains out and doesn't retain the water long enough. So definitely blame the topsy turvy, not your green thumb.
| Rate this: |
Posted by Jimmy_Jones on Aug. 31, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. (report)
I have a raised bed with 4 tomato plants that I can't harvest fast enough and I have 1 topsy turvy with lots of green growth, but not one ripe tomato yet. They plants are 5 feet away from one another and were planted within a week of one another. It's the topsy-turvy, not the weather.
| Rate this: |
Posted by Crash on Aug. 31, 2009 at 10:54 a.m. (report)
Nothing wrong with Topsy Turvey - it was the weather. We had plants in our topsy turvey as well as planted upright, and we got the same degree of growth in each. Plenty of stalk and foliage, but poor yield. It's not the planter, but other factors such as weather and care...
| Rate this: |
Posted by doc40mike on Aug. 31, 2009 at 9:27 a.m. (report)
We have three planters and put cherry tomatoes in two of them and pepers is one. Pepers are doing fair, tomatoes are not doing so good. Looks to be a bad product.
| Rate this: |
Show me the other 6 Talkbacks
Recent blogs/briefs by Molly Snyder Edler
|
The end of free chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants Monday A Mexican restaurant said the rising cost of all ingredients -- particularly tomatoes ... |
|
Quotable quotes for the kiddos Nov. 25, 2009 Over the years, I have enjoyed teaching my kids to say pop culture quips from my childhood ... |
|
"New Moon" musings Nov. 22, 2009 Last night, along with my 16-year-old niece, I saw "New Moon," the latest film in Stephanie ... |
|
Today's oxymoron: calorie counting at Culver's Nov. 18, 2009 I like the fast food eatery's Wisconsin roots, but other than that, I'm not a big fan, ... |
|
"Beer water" is not beer and that's OK Nov. 14, 2009 Let's get a few things straight. MGD Light 64 and Bud Select 55 are not a beer-drinker's ... |
| Top Clicks | Top Searches | Most Talkbacks |
|
|
- Sunday Sound-off: Have you given up on your garden?
- The Sunflower Project
- OnMilwaukee.com Recommends: July 23, 2009
- I'm no film critic, but "Man on Wire" was not "Certified Fresh"
- Attack of the guerrilla gardeners
- Tiger Lily blooms on Brady and Water Streets
- A blitz of gardening means victory
- Public Gardens get their day in the sun on May 8
- Sweet on potatoes
- I love the "frustrated" informercial guy
