Our Version of the Upside Down Tomato Planter

We decided this year to try growing our tomato plants upside down. Gardeners have been doing this long before the invention of the Topsy Turvy with mixed results, but we like the idea of the fruit hanging down, less damage that way. Bob split a couple of diesel oil barrels and built a sturdy wooden stand. Our plants require daily watering, "experts" tell us this is because our plant's roots are underdeveloped. We have cherry tomatoes and cucumber plants on top. They hold in some moisture, though that was not our intention in planting them there. The expert says roots like to grown down, plants like to grown toward the sun. The plants free to grow up do seem hardier, don't you think? We'll see how it goes. It's too soon to say our version of an upside down tomato planter was a success. The whole garden has been a bit of a letdown compared to last year's. A lot of gardeners we talked to here in Eastern Washington State were disappointed in their gardens this year.