Upside Down Tomato Planter, (2- Pack) Hooks Included (Plants, Soil and Fertilizer not Included).)

Some people say you can't grow tomatoes, in a small bag like this....but it just ain't true! Yes, with a limited volume container (bag) like this, you're not going to support the root ball of a large tomato plant, like beefsteaks (that's why folks do upside down beefsteak tomato plants, using 5-gallon buckets, with a hole cut in the bottom). These are designed for smaller, indeterminate tomatoes, like cherry, pear or grape. You might even try a Roma tomato plant, though I haven't...yet!!This is my second season, working with these, and yes, I ran into the same sort of problems that others have described here:- water runs through the sides of the bag- soil can escape through the bottom slit of the bag- and, due to the cloth handle, the top of the bag can close up, instead of staying open, while hanging.Here's what I did, to fix all these problems:1. brown paper wrapping, around the inside of the bag, from top to bottom. A brown paper store sack would work. In my case, I had saved the rolled brown paper, that some wrapping paper manufacturers have started using (in lieu of the cardboard tube the paper is usually wrapped around). Turns out it was the perfect width, once I unrolled it, then rolled it in the opposite direction! I have (so far) 3 tomato plants up, in the bags I purchased, with this paper wrapping, and NONE of them are weeping water out the sides! Granted, the material won't breathe as well, but the soil mixture I use has plenty of composted material, as well as water retention ability, so I expect no problems with that issue.2. See the first photo I attached, to this review? That's the super-simple soil shield I made, for each of the bags I used. Just cut them out of some corrugated cardboard. Once you have the plant inside the bag, and before adding soil, slip this cardboard disk down past the root ball, and make sure the stem of the plant goes in the wedge that's cut out (make sure you cut that piece wide enough for some growth of the stem, and a little past the center of the circle). I have found that if you place the round piece, so that the cut-out is NOT in line with the slit in the bottom of the bag, you will have no issues, with soil wanting to fall out, as you fill the bag.3. Last year, I tried a couple pieces of 1/4" bamboo (like you'd use to support a plant), and cut them at 7.5" long, then tied them with some zip ties, in an X shape. While that held the top of the bag open better, it was still not the perfect solution (and it got in the way of anything you might want to grow, in the top of the bag).So this year, I took some scraps of wire garden fencing (like you'd use, to keep rabbits out of your garden, with the 1" gaps between the wires), and cut them ~6" wide, by 24" long, with some overlapping wire, so that I could secure it in a circular shape. Why that size? You only need to support the very top (the soil supports the rest), so you could probably get away with less than 6" wide. 24" long, because the bags are (as I said already) a little more than 7.5" diameter....but you will want these to fit the circumference of the bag (circumference = Pi x diameter, or just under 24", for a 7.5" diameter). I kept a 1" piece of wire, on each of what ended up being the verticals, to loop over the top of the bag, and secure it....but you could just as easily wrap a stitch or two of heavy thread (or dental floss) through the bag, and around the wires, to hold these in place. Whatever works, right?The 3 additional pics I just uploaded, should hopefully show you what I'm trying to explain. This yellow pear tomato plant was just recently transplanted to the bag, and I took it outside, to hang on the shepherd's hook, in front of the house. Once it was up there, I added nearly a gallon of water to the soil, before I experienced any, dripping down out of the bottom of the bag. A gallon! And once I finish setting up my drip irrigation system, I will make sure that this bag is fed, by two 1/2 GPH drippers, so that it adds the water slowly, and evenly, throughout the bag, during the watering cycle.With these three modifications, the bags are holding dirt and water well, and the top is staying wide open, so I can plant a companion plant up there (one has basil, one has oregano, and one has parsley). So long as I keep them watered, during the Texas summer, I expect to have ZERO problems.....and plenty of tomatoes!

This is an amazing product. I planted three tomato plants per planter and they are growing very quickly. I water my plants once a day in the evenings. I have hung the plants on hooks that are nailed to my deck and they seem to be doing very well. The material that the planter is made out of seems durable and I haven't had any issues with it yet but I feel like after a few uses they may rip. It is a felt like material and it does hold the water in. When I first received the planters I was worried that the water would end up leaking through the felt but the inside is lined to keep moisture on the soil. Overall this is a great product.

Zipper to adjust the opening to maintain soil in the bag.

I love the product, my displeasure was my own creation. I was rushed when planting and used the bottom-up method and it wasn't successful. Next round I will be threading my starter through from the top to get a better root spread. We had a very long covid-y winter hence a late spring planting season so I may be waiting quite awhile before I do round 2, but I fully believe these bags will expand my patio crop significantly.

We grew tomatoes from bottom and peppers from the top.Very unconventional way to grow for me but had lots of of fun and enjoyment growing them..BUY IT!!!

They served there purpose. Plants grow with a bit of effort and learning curve. But, they are nothing like other brands. It’s not worth the savings for this hanging container!!When watered, water then pours out the seems. Doesn’t even make it to the bottom. I water the plants in these containers 2x more than any other hanging container. I believe it’s due to the poor design and water doesn’t even have a chance to be absorbed prior to coming out seems.Watering is a complete hassle as the top folds once hung. See picture. Then I have to get a chair to make sure I can pour it in slowly to ensure enough water is retained.When I purchased, the topsy-turvys were sold out. I had several plants that needed transplanted quickly. I purchased these as I didn’t have many options.Will I use what I purchased, yes.Would I re-purchase, absolutely not.Would I recommend, nope.

Tomatoes are doing well so far! I've enjoyed watching them grow in the bags. And I like the deck space I have by hanging the plants. The posted photos are six weeks apart. I also used tomato fertilizer at the time of planting.Below are a few things I've noticed with using the bags:I'm watering the plants daily since they soak up the water quickly. On occasion, twice in a day.One of the plants didn't take too well to hanging, it was a runt anyway, so I ended up inverting the bag. It is bearing fruit as well as the other bagged plant.The slit at the bottom is large enough for soil to escape during and after the planting process. I inserted popsicle sticks to retain the soil. It worked well.

I bought two of these planters for my dad to use with his tomato plants. I chose them because we’ve used Topsy Turvy planters before and had good results, but I wanted a better price. The first month of use went pretty okay, but we noticed that not much growth was occurring. Turns out that the color and the material of the planter are NOT good. Black retains heat, meaning that whatever moisture is inside ends up being quickly evaporated, leaving the soil far too dry. Plus, the material is something similar to felt, which does not retain water AT ALL. As soon as we would water our plants, we could watch all liquid pouring out the bottom, as it was just passing through the planters. In the end, we had to cut the tomato plants out of the planters and transplant them in to large pots. They simply could not survive in those things.