When you have a green thumb but have limited or no space in your home to plant, you need to get creative. Your idea may be to grow your plants in a Topsy Turvy, including your cucumbers. Before turning your world upside down (pun intended!), you may wonder: can you grow cucumbers in a Topsy Turvy?
Cucumbers can be grown in a Topsy Turvy. It would help if you started the cucumber seeds in a regular container or pot and then transferred them to your Topsy Turvy. Your cucumber will grow and bear its crop.
Even though most people talk about how they use a trellis for their cucumbers, you do not need to! You can have a cucumber plant grow just as well in Topsy Turvy. If you’re interested in learning more, stick with me until the end!
Can You Grow Cucumbers In An Upside Down Planter Or Topsy Turvy
Cucumbers can be grown in an upside down planter or Topsy Turvy and produce heavy cucumbers.
Topsy Turvy planters, also known as upside down planters, are all the rage nowadays and can be used to plant your cucumbers.
For some, an upside down planter can feel like a gimmick, but you can produce the same results as you would in a garden.
Topsy Turvy planters have benefits like:
- Allowing people without the space to garden to plant and grow their own food
- Offering a different way to grow cucumbers if someone can’t build a trellis out of chicken wire or fencing
- Making planting and maintenance easier for people who have mobility issues
People from different backgrounds love to plant, and the Topsy Turvy planter provides a different option for people looking to grow cucumber plants.
Can Cucumbers Be Grown Upside Down
Yes, your cucumbers can be grown upside down, but you may run into some issues, which we’ll discuss here.
Seeds Must Be Started In A Separate Container
One of the first things I want to touch on is that cucumbers can’t be started in an upside down container.
Before you can start using an upside down planter, you need to start your seeds in a separate container and then transfer them into your Topsy Turvy or upside down planter.
This may not feel like an extra step for people who love to garden, but this can be a burden if you aren’t the best at starting seeds.
Alternatively, you can buy cucumber plants from the store that are already started to avoid planting seeds.
Cucumber Plant Becomes Heavy
We’ve all seen some people’s monster cucumbers, so you know how heavy cucumber plants can get.
When your cucumber plant is growing across the ground or up a trellis, weight isn’t a huge issue. Your trellis may lean a bit, but otherwise, it’s nothing you need to worry about.
It is with your Topsy Turvy.
If your planter starts to get heavy, the cord holding it up could snap. Worse yet, the area where it is hanging can be damaged too.
Your Topsy Turvy should be resilient, but if you wait for your crop to grow massive cucumbers, you may start to have problems.
Cucumber Plants Grow Wild
Cucumber plants can not only get heavy; they generally get wild when they are left to grow under the best conditions.
This isn’t a problem initially, but you may start to run out of space as it gets long and touches the ground.
Unless you trim it back, your cucumber plant will continue to grow, and since it has nothing to climb up, it will trail across the floor.
If you used a Topsy Turvy to save space, you might feel like you’re in the same boat as you were initially!
Your Plant Will Be Dry
Topsy Turvy planters are usually drier than your average planter because of gravity, causing your cucumber plants to suffer.
Cucumber plants need a lot of water to grow strong, so you will be spending a large portion of your time watering your upside down planter.
Your cucumber plants will grow slowly if they don’t have enough water, which can become an ongoing issue with your Topsy Turvy.
Keep your watering can handy because you will need it!
The Cucumbers Aren’t Getting Enough Light
Like water, cucumber plants need ample light.
You may have chosen to use a Topsy Turvy because of a lack of space. Your vegetable plant may not be getting enough sunlight to grow properly, depending on where you put it.
If you see that your cucumber plant isn’t growing as quickly as you think, try moving it to an area with even more sunlight.
This can be more difficult with limited space.
Can Cucumbers Be Grown Without A Trellis
Yes, cucumbers can be grown without a trellis.
There are two common ways to grow cucumbers: with a trellis or wild across the ground.
Many planters opt for a trellis because cucumbers take up valuable space in a garden when they are left to grow across the ground.
Cucumbers will grow and throw with or without a trellis, which means that it is usually up to a gardener to choose what is more important to them.
As you have learned from this article, cucumbers can be grown upside to, if that is your choice.
Cucumbers are hearty vegetables and plants, so you can grow them in almost every way and still end up with a great crop. ‘
The choice, therefore, is left up to you and your gardening situation.
What Plants Do Well In A Topsy Turvy
If you have an itch to start planting in a Topsy Turvy, here are some other plants you can consider planting:
- Tomatoes
- Herbs
- Peppers
- Lettuce
- Beans
- Eggplants
- Zucchini
The Topsy Turvy may be a new and different way to plant your crops, but that does not mean that you are limited with what you can grow.
Your options are almost as limitless as they are with an actual garden.
Keep in mind that you may have to start your seeds outside of the Topsy Turvy, which is an extra chore for some.
Some plants, like lettuce, have shallow root systems, so they will not be able to take hold in your Topsy Turvy easily. Once they have reached a certain level of maturity, they can also thrive upside down.
Do a little research, and you will have a luscious, albeit upside down, garden in no time.
Hi there, my name is Allie and welcome to my blog; GareningWithAllie!
Much of what you see written here is just our personal experiences with gardening. Along with the content I write here, there is also a unique collection of gardening topics covered by some of our close friends. I hope you find everything you read here to be helpful, informative, and something that can make your gardening journey the most lovely experience ever! With that said, Happy Gardening!