I’m sure you’ve all watched the commercials about the Topsy Turvy and, if you haven’t already done your own tests, wonder if they really work. Well I’m about to show you actual results from Topsy Turvy grown tomatoes and upright container grown tomatoes. Both were plant groups were planted within a couple of days of each other.
When Topsy Turvys first came out, I had already tried growing tomatoes upside down, in 5 gallon buckets. The tests I did were nothing more than a complete joke and a waste of time and tomato plants. The measly little plants that came from growing upside-down, finally produced two tiny tomatoes on deformed looking puny stems, where the plants that I had planted in the ground were beautiful, lush and full of tomatoes.
The only question in my mind was whether there was something special with the design of the authentic Topsy Turvy. Though I wasn’t willing to risk wasting my treasured tomato plants and the $9.95 to $39.95 to try it out, I managed to gain actual comparative Topsy Turvy results (from a friend) with another test.
During my tomato planting season, I had a vast amount of extra tomatoes, so I shared them with family and friends, so the results I am about to share are from plants that were planted at the same time mine were planted and have been grown only a few hundred feet away from mine.
From the image shown, you can see, the container grown tomatoes, in the upright buckets, are a bit stressed from our move, but they are doing beautifully well. There are little tomatoes on nearly every single plant and some are so full of tomatoes, I’m wondering if there is a tomato food bank somewhere local, where I can donate some. [I:http://networkfish.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LeeShafer0.jpg]
Now I’m going to show you a picture of Topsy Turvy grown tomatoes. Amazingly, the upside-down tomatoes look very similar to my previous tests in the upside-down 5 gallon buckets. The plants do not grow well upside-down, and as you can see, there are very few branches and so far, no tomatoes. The amount of energy it takes the plants to turn their branches upward, toward the sun, takes away from their overall productivity and growing season. Personally, I would never waste my money on a Topsy Turvy.
[I:http://networkfish.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LeeShafer1.jpg]
In searching the internet, I have read some reviews on the Topsy Turvy. The results were similar to mine, so why on Earth, would someone recommend these things when they deteriorate within the first year and they don’t hold enough water to keep them moist for even one day? You can bet you won’t find them hanging around my home in the near future!
Happy Gardening 
Lee Shafer has more than 35 years of tomato growing experience and would like to share more free information with you. Simply head on over to Lee’s website for some very unique and interesting information on Growing Heirloom Tomatoes and other vegetables. This article, Is Topsy Turvy Worth Your Time? has free reprint rights.
