[Normandy]

Cool thread. Anyone tried these? Hanging tomato plants:
http://www.topsygardening.com/

[Vinnie]

Hanging tomato plants:

Yes, my wife tried them.

Save your money.

[momtothree]

Hi Normandy! I tried something similar... a thick metal pole that hung the tomato plants upside down. Really bad idea... the tomatoes didn’t grow well at all (they just didn’t root the way they should) and a breeze knocked the thing over. Unfortunately, I was weeding underneath the thing when it toppled over. Saw stars and gave me a good gash on top of my head. We now laugh at the incident but for a minute there... I thought it would be “death by tomato plants”. Save your money and use pots or plain old (non lethal) dirt.

[Darth Reardon]

I haven't used those, but most of my tomatoes hang and it works quite well. I use a hydroponic system (slideshow of hanging tomatoes at link). I was advised to plant only half as many plants per pot when planting tomatoes because they need more room for the roots.

[Mr Fuji]

Yes, I’ve tried them and my answer is don’t do it! The roots get cooked and they don’t produce enough yields.

Don’t be afraid or intimidated to stake and grow tomatoes. It’s not that hard to do. If you are confined for space then by all means use containers e.g. 5 gallon buckets and bush variety tomatoes.

[Sarajevo]

Yep. The roots get root-rot and also overheat, the soil settles and compacts around the roots. It may work in northern climate zones, but not in the south.