Hanging Tomatoes

[uspirate]

Anybody use them or tried them. looks like a nifty little setup for a boat. with four of them you could also have okra, squash, herbs, Zucchini, Cucumbers, yada yada. link

[buckeyesailor]

I have a neighbor that SWEARS by them! I drove by for a couple of years, noticed them, then did a job for her and got the scoop.....

It appears they are THE way to go.....take up little space and you don't have to worry about them rotting on the ground.......

I'll most likely give them a go this year........and can't see why it wouldn't work for other veggies.....Peppers, Cucumber, and the like.....
I thought about them last year for Sailboats......since I've heard fresh tomatoes in the Carib are scarce........

[sailingdog]

Sound like a good thing for a boat... if you can restrain them from swinging and bruising the tomatoes.

[camaraderie]

Don't show those to Sea Angel or she might get her 5001st idea!!

[capttb]

Is that real or photoshop? Why don't the plants just turn up to grow towards the light ? And would roots grow up ?

[AjariBonten]

Originally Posted by capttb

Is that real or photoshop? Why don't the plants just turn up to grow towards the light ? And would roots grow up ?

I saw them on TV the other night; they look pretty nifty. I wonder what keeps the plants from pulling out of the soil from the weight?

[TrueBlue]

We were looking at the Down Under Pot at a local garden center a couple years ago (any association to Aussie weed is unintentional), for planting use in our screened porch. I liked the glazed terra-cotta pots but couldn't warm up to upside down plants - ended up with a few of those iron cage, hanging baskets with coco-mat liners instead. The concept though has been proven to work and was used for a long time - probably the inspiration for the "Topsy Turvy".

I checked out the website anyway LINK, but was totally turned off by the marketing style (reminiscent of tacky infomercials) and the cheesy plastic film containers. I suppose the idea is good for people with very tight yards, decks or urban balconies.

But, I imagine this would make a real mess if used above deck on a boat. Since the planter bottom requires a hole larger than the diameter of the plant stalk - to allow for growth, whenever the plant is watered, soil will drain over the plant - making muddy puddles and streaks all over the deck and/or cockpit.

[eherlihy]

I've got to say that I share TB's skepticism about "as seen on TV" products (BTW, TB there is a link at the top of this page to as-seen-on-tv-products, where these Tomato thingies are sold!).

However, and I apologize for the hijak, I have seen an ad for this flat fold collander, and am curious if any of you have tried it:


I would think that this would be PERFECT for a boat.

Comments?

- Ed

[TrueBlue]

Ed, looks like a good boat collander - don't know how durable it is though.

What we used for draining pasta is a folding food steamer - since it worked double-duty as a strainer/steamer for fresh veggies & shellfish as well. Just put it in the bottom of the pot before boiling and lift up to drain liquid.

[dennismenace111]

I put two plants in a bag and they seem to be working great...except that there is alot of run out of some dark dirty water...not sure you would want that hanging over the white deck of my sailboat....grows beautiful tomatoes though.