Container Gardening for Vegetables

Here are some guidelines: http://www.almanac.com/blog/editors-musings/blog-how-make-container-garden-planter

Hi Evie,
If you have sand and manure, you have some of the ingredients. A good container mix is composed of peat moss, vermiculite or perlite, sand, and composed cow manure. See this page for details:
http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/make-your-own-potting-mixes

It depends what you are growing. Avoiding garden soil in containers as it brings other organisms (disease, etc.). In general, use 80% peat moss and 20% perlite. See more: http://www.almanac.com/content/blog-how-make-container-garden-planter

Has it been fertilized in any way? Does your soil drain well? If it's in a 10 gallon tub I would assume it would have plenty of room. Depending on the soil your using or fertilizer for that matter... It may just need fed.

Sometimes the BEST pots are those that are unusual... like your 5 gallon bucket or tubs. In our area you might find things like boots and toilets and bathtubs in people's yards! Raised gardens are all the craze lately. I have had one long since that started but it is growing like crazy and I am very proud of my garden! If you have things that are going to sprawl like green beans or peas use poles and chicken wire or strings for them to climb on! I have cucumbers and beans on mine now! Good Luck!

You can use buckets and plastic tubs or anything you can drill drainage holes into. and the drainage holes should be on the bottom..just sayin'. Depending on what kind of soil you have, you may need to enhance it with potting soil, lime, etc. Just dont buy the garden soil and use it in containers. make sure its potting soil.

I have been growing all types of Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, brussel sprouts, broccoli and herbs in 5 gallon buckets & other containers for years. As long as they have been cleaned and have good drainage you can use anything. Last year I even used a wicker basket that I put a trash bag in and filled it with soil (poked holes for drainage)

Hi Rosey, There are a number of things that could be causing this. It could be a plant disease, such as Powdery Mildew or Mosaic Virus. You can see pictures and tips here: http://www.almanac.com/topics/gardening/pests-and-problems Or, it could be something as simple as overwatering. Try easing up on the water, and give plants a dose of nitrogen rich fertilizer. They need good drainage and full sunlight. Crop rotation from year to year is also beneficial.

I haven't had much luck with these! Yes, the water runs all the way to the bottom if you water from the top. You have to start the plants first and then put in the topsy turvy thing. I have tried tomatoes and strawberries and neither did anything.

I had two topsy turvy's that I tried growing tomatoes in and we ended up with blossom rot on both of them. I am in the South, hot, humid with days feeling as tho one lives in a steam sauna and don't know if that had anything to do with the problem or not. I watered once a day but wondered if it was bad for the plants to have all that water pouring out all over the plants. If anyone has a suggestion, I would be willing to try it again.

They will be less traumatized if you cover the dark exterior with light paper, thick cloth, or canvas. The "heat is drawn to dark" theory is real. And in this case - it is not beneficial.

I have had success growing eggplant and chili peppers in Topsy Turvy's I wish they made one with a zipper on the side so that it would be easier to put a larger plant in the bag. I have found when working with smaller plants there is a lighting issue until they flip their leaves, like the bag shades the plant to the point where they start off slow. Once the plants gets bigger it is game on these things work great as long as you water the plants correctly. I am not positive of this but I also think certain pests have a harder time getting to the plants when they hang upside down.

I had excellent success with my topsy turvy's this year. I bought seven and hung them in a wooden frame I made from 4x4's, with the bottom of the planters being about 8 feet off the ground (my wife says it looks like a row of planters hanging from a gallows...). In their current location, they get about 7 hours of direct sunlight per day.

I had initially purchased several shepherd hooks, but I immediately learned that my freshly prepared planters were far too heavy for them. I then put two double hooks together with a brace and that still didn't hold a single planter. Also, three of my plants became so large that, had the hooks been strong enough, half of the plant would be dragging on the ground.

Five of the seven held tomatoes (1 Cherry, 2 Roma, 2 Globe-type), one held peppers (sweet banana, hungarian wax, and low heat jalapenos), and the last one held strawberries.

My soil for each of the planters was the same: a combination of fertilizer, good dirt, perlite (to help with drainage), and miracle grow potting soil. I then added bone meal once the plants started to flower.

Once the plants begin to grow, they will curl upward. This is normal. As the plant begins to grow, gravity and the mass of the plant will do their thing and the plant will straighten out.

The topsy turvy's have some huge benefits (no weeding, no steaking, I had no need to support the plant, etc). And, I don't have to stoop over to pick or prune. Another benefit was pest reduction. I did lose one Roma early to a nasty, huge worm, but I let the plant come back and it is now producing again. In all, I had far fewer pest problems with the turvys than I did with my raised bed planted tomatoes.

The only draw back I experienced is that they need watered DAILY, and when the weather is hot an additional watering may be necessary. I was initially concerned about over-watering, but I quickly learned that more water was necessary. Also, we had a lot of rain this year, but the topsy turvy's didn't seem to capture rain as well as I would have liked.

I grew up in the desert, but the topsy turvys did not exist then. I would still use them, but would have some sort of temporary shade available should you have too many hot days in a row.

My best producer was my cherry tomato plant; 437 delicious tomatoes weighing just under 7 lbs, and I will be picking a bunch more in a few days. I also picked 102 Romas and about 20 lbs of globes. I was very pleased with the peppers, but the strawberry plants were a total bust. I live in the northern midwest, so our growing season does not traditionally begin until mid-may and it usually ends in September, so my plants may not have been as prolific as plants grown in warmer climes.

Good Luck!

This was my first experience with topsey turveys. I have 2.I have a patio garden. At first I planted tomatoes in both.The plants started to curl up into the bottom of the turvey.I replanted both. Same thing happened again. Once again I replanted. This time one was tomatoe and one zucchini.I just let them do thier own thing.Not many tomatoes were produced, though season isnt over yet. The tomatoes that were produced are very large(not many- but Id be happy with just one). I had to make a sling for the branches. Once the branch breaks, its over.The zucchini is awesome. Lots of male blossoms 2 zucchinis that are very slow growing.Both turveys have produced majestic displays of greenery on my porch.I dont expect to get another growing season out of the turveys,as I dont believe they are made to last multiple uses/seasons.I will be using them again.I sit on my porch and compare zucchini plants. I also have a mistake/ rogue zuccini seed that has florished into a freak of nature it the corner of my porch.With the turvy producing so many male blossoms, I want to get a shepards hook and plant next years turvey above the ground plated zucchini. Figuring/ hoping the male pollen might dust down onto the female blossoms below(just a thought).Being disabled it is an awesome way to be able to grow. Literally no weeding, no bending. Id send pics as I have been photo documenting every week. Im very proud of my patio garden

We tried the Topsy Turvy for the first time last year. We didn't get a single tomato but I think that where we placed the plant was not ideal. This year we put it in a different place and it is growing very well. We have green tomatoes on the plant right now. However, make sure that you secure the top with a screen or something because birds will try to nest in it!!

The problem with the upside down planters is that the dry out very fast. If you want one of these besure it has a water resevor at the top that will trikle water into the soil over time.

I had white flies on my tomatoes last year. I tried the yellow plastic smeared with oil or Vaseline. They were attracted to it, but were still on my plants.

My neighbor told me to use 2 tablespoons of bleach to a gallon of water and spray my tomatoes. This worked better than the oil on a yellow plate. It did not harm my plants either.