Kitchen Garden Forum

Just seen this advertised. Can tomatoes (etc) really grow upside down?

http://www.jmldirect.com/product.asp?pf ... CT_Generic

I wonder if you have to grow Australian Tomato varieties in them.

.....and do the Australians have to grow British varieties?

Touche, my dear fellow.

It's got into the Telegraph this morning.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/76 ... atoes.html

My limited botanical knowledge suggests to me that roots are programmed to grow downwards and not up into the sun! Also, it it nonsense (isn't it?) that nutrients will be pulled down to an upside down plant due to gravity. I always thought that nutrients rose upwards due to osmosis.

It it all a money-making con?

If you look at the picture the end of the shoot that is hanging down has turned round and is trying to grow upwards again as are all the leaves. A complete load of bunkum to part poor simpletons from their money.

Rather like the Dobbies garden centre last year charging only £19.99 for a tomato plant with four tomatoes on it, and that was reduced from £25 in the sale!!!!

Hi Alan,
Regret to inform you that there was a craze about 30 years ago when this method was tried and, as you would expect, it failed miserably.
With the more modern forms of Tomato, plants may at least have a chance now but back then they had no hope. They did exactly as Plumpudding has pointed out they all tried to grow upwards and as the fruits formed the stems ruptured.
JB.