Garden Tips. How to grow the Tomatillo, the Tomatoes cousin.
Posted by Denise in vegetables, tags: gardening tips, how to grow the tomatilloTomatillos are known for being used in authentic Mexican cuisine and are catching on in American dishes. 
photo credit: ercwttmn
But I first heard about Tomatillos when I was making jams and jellies. They had a recipe for a Tomatillo Jam that everyone was raving over. I have made jams and jellies from tomatoes, which are wonderful, so I decided I would have to try growing Tomatillos.
They are a rather funny looking vegetable growing in the garden. The plants resemble tomato plants in look and growing conditions. But they are a small green fruit that will turn yellow when it’s really ripe and grows in an odd shaped papery skin. As they mature the skin will open and expose the fruit.
I always enjoy growing a new crop so the first year was an adventure. They are easy to grow and produce well so the crop was a huge success.
If you have never grown them before just remember that they are a warm weather crop and love heat. With this in mind choose a site that gets full sun and has well-drained soil that’s not too rich. A pH reading that’s close to neutral (7.0) is good for them.
How to grow the tomatillo
You will need to start Tomatillo seeds 6 to 8 weeks in advance of your last frost or when you plan to set them out into the garden. They cannot handle cold nights or any frost!
I had to start my plants. Our local greenhouses don’t carry them and I live in a zone 5 and need the plants to have a head start for my cooler climate.
If you start seeds, treat the seeds and seedling just like you would tomato seedlings. If you live in a warm climate you can plant them directly into the ground.
Whether you start you seeds or purchase plants you need to harden off the plants before putting them in the ground. To do this slowly expose them to direst sunlight usually an hour at a time each day and if they show signs of wilting move them to shade. A week will usually harden the plants to sun and wind condition.
Hardening off plants is very important! Many people skip this step and the plants suffer from stress and they are set back later in producing crops. Sometimes they will actually die.
After the plants are hardened off plant them in the garden. Spacing is the same as tomato plants and will depend on if you stake the plants or let them sprawl on the ground. I always stake my plants. I have better control over controlling insects and they are cleaner.
photo credit: .j.e.n.n.y.
Water when the ground is dry and if possible use a deep watering method that directs the water into the soil and does not just let water spread on the surface of the ground. I apply a light fertilizer when I plant them, when they first start to blossom and about three weeks later.
The Tomatillos are ready to harvest when the fruits are firm and husks are papery and straw-colored. Usually the husks will break open when they are ripe. If they don’t, simply test them with a gentle squeeze to check ripeness.
Tomatillos are one of those garden plants that are just fun to plant and grow. The husks can also be used in crafting.
If you are having any tomatillo crop problems this article might help: Tomatillo and tomato growing problems
Loading ...
.png)
Entries (RSS)
I’ve never heard of a tomatillo until now! I lived in Texas for a year and possibly ate it, but wouldn’t know if I did.
What do they taste like? Sweet, sour, tangy, bitter? I’m very curious!! *smile*
Hugs,
Megan
Megan,
The tomatillo has a soft tomato taste. I have used it in salads. What is interesting about it is that is takes on flavors of spices so well, and both sweet and hot flavors.
You can make the best and easiest salsa in a matter of minutes. It is often used in restaurant salsas, so you probably did have it in Texas. Denise http://www.thegardenersrake.com
Do you have to ‘harden’ the plants if you buy seedlings? You are just full of great information!
Julie
http://www.myantiagingskincareonline.com
hello. i am growing totmatillos for the first time…my plants have sprouted small, yellow flowers. should i remove these, for a bigger fruit yield? or should i leave them on? any advice would be great – i’m an utter novice. thanks.
Leave the yellow flower on. Tomatilloes produce well and you shouldn’t have to remove blossoms to have a good crop.
They are a fun plant to grow. Denise
I’ve heard differing opinions about whether or not you need 2 plants to produce fruit. I have one plant on my balcony, but I’m worried I won’t get anything! Do you know anything about this? Thank you!
For the tomatillo plant you are fine. You just need bees for pollination so I would add a few flowers around the plant to make sure you have bees plus the addition of color will be fun! Denise
I have several tomatillo plants, all are at least 5ft tall and loaded with what I call little lanterns. I felt a few to see how the fruit was doing but there didn’t seem to be a tomato inside that was the same size as the husk. Now what? They are shading the sun from other crop should I just pull them out? I was so excited when they took off–I mean these babies skyrocketed!! I could just taste the salsa and margarita’s.
Give the fruit more time to develop. They will grow into the husk.
You may want to think the plants out a bit of they are shading other plants. If done quicky you may be able to move a tomatillo plant to a pot and grow one of plants that way. Denise
Denise,
If I move them to pots, what would be the appropriate size and what soil mixture would I use? They are planted in a mixture of Miracle grow garden soil, soil ammender and run of the mill soil. (first time we used this part of the yard for a garden and the plants are just thriving) Unfortunately, I didn’t account for this crop to flourish as it has. Everything that I planted has quadrupled, now if the sun would just co-operate! Because of the fact that I lost part of my garden area that I had used previously I am limited in space. Next season I am going to try above ground gardening beds. Wish me luck–I think I’m going to need it!
I am growing tomatillos in Gateshead North-East England in my greenhouse. They are doing very well and have set lots of flowers. However, the leaves have developed big holes in them with the leave itself disintegrating when it is touched. I have pulled off these leaves and burnt them. The leaves have a yellowing mould to them which then becomes a hole. Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it?
You can use bt which is a more natural spray. This should help the problem.
I mix a natural remedy of a dash or garlic, 16 ounces of water, a few drops of dish soap . Spray the plant and let dry. This should also help the plants.
I have a huge, huge green tomatillo plant in the garden, which has been producing a mega amount of fruit, but it seems now that the plant is yellowing a bit, first the leaves and now some of the fruit. I dont know what to do. I have added coffee grounds to the soil to add acid to the very alkaline soil here in the dessert and started to use an iron, zinc, magnisium supplement.
Has anybody got any ideas about what else I need to do?
The fruit from my plants are small about 1/2″ or so. I thought they should be the size of a golf ball.
The size of your fruit may be influenced by water and temperature. As long as the plant and fruit look healthy I wouldn’t worry about it. Denise
I have a tomatillo plant that is absolutely huge(taking over the garden), but I have had my 2nd tomatillo plant killed by my dog 2 times now, and now currently only have a little branch that we have broken off the big plant and replanted( it is doing well). Both the huge and tiny plant have flowers and I have seen some bees around. What I’m wanting to know is that because the killing of the 2nd plant, will we ever get fruit from our big plant?? The big plant has been planted since mid april or so, at the time of transplanting it was about 2 1/2 – 3 feet high.
Yes, you should get fruit on your plant. There’s still plenty of time and they will pollinate fine. Denise
hi, i have a number of tomatillo plants. 2 are the regular green tomatillo and 4 are supposed to be purple tomatillos. the plants are healthy looking and have tons of flowers, but no fruit. the green ones have been flowering for probably 2 months and the purple ones have been flowering for at least 3-4 weeks. i live in central texas and have lots of sun. i make sure they have good amount of water. we have bees around as well. will these produce fruit or is there something wrong?
You should be seeing fruit from by now. Is the resat of the plant healthy?
Wait another week and see if you notice any fruit formation. I have not heard of this happening before or had it happen to me. denise
what is a resat? do you know who else might know why they are not fruiting. my tomatoes have fruit. i have cucumbers, and some other stuff.
I am having the same issue as J, who posted on July 3, but I didn’t see a response posted for it. All my plants were doing great, but are now starting to develop yellow leaves and some husks are turning brown before the fruit fills them. All were planted in new containers and soil this year. Any idea what is causing the condition and how it may affect the yield?
Sorry, For some reason I didn’t seem to get your response.
I haven’t heard or seen this problem before this . Are you having an unusual summer for weather?
It sounds like the plant is suffering some sort of stress or disease. I will see if I know anyone who has had this problem. Denise
Summer weather is pretty consistent this with past years. We’ve been consistent with watering and not too much. We did plant some peppers and basil in the same beds.
Have you planted tomatoes or peppers in the same place in previous years?
It sounds like it could be a blight. Early blight is not good, late blight is treatable. Do you have a local garden center you could take a tomatillo fruit to?
I just did a new article http://thegardenersrake.com/tomatillo-and-tomato-problems. This might help. Densie
They were planted in new containers with fresh soil.
Fortunately there is a university extension service in town that periodically runs a plant clinic. I’ll give them a try and see if they have any idea. I’ll read your article too.
Thanks!
I have found that most extension agencies will look at plants most of the time. I am alwayy dragging something in for my Extension office to look at.
I also have one great great greenhouse that will look at any plant I bring in. Its a great help.
Good luck and let me know how the plants do. Denise
Denise´s last blog ..Unique Gardening tips for the Potting Shed
[...] For more information on how to grow the tomatillo check this link: Garden tips: How to grow the Tomatillo, the Tomatoes cousin [...]
my tomatillo plant is very healthy, its getting taller and I have had many many yellow flowers but than they die and fall off, I didn’t get one tomatoe yet, I put in enough water, has good sun and even put extra flower food, does anybody know why does pretty yellow flowers die and fall off?
Hello,
I planted tomatillos for the first time this year. The plants are very healthy, and I already have some fairly good sized green tomatillos. I’m curious about the husks…when do they form? I don’t see any yet…do they form later in the growing process?
Thanks!
You should be seeing husks. Are the fruits growing well? Denise
I have a huge, very fruitful tomatillo plant. It is covered with bees and husks. The fruits are very small within the husks and the husks have yet to even begin turning straw like. Is this normally? How long does it typically take before the fruit is ready to harvest?
I planted my tomatillo plant about 4 months ago. It didn’t take long before it grew big and had a lot of flowers on it. This is the 2nd time I’ve tried growing tomatillos, but the plant only flowers, there’s no fruit. How long should it take to get fruit? I live in Northern CA where we get plenty of heat. The rest of my garden is doing okay, the plant appears quite healthy. Am I doing something wrong? I’m just not sure if I should continue to wait or just pull the plant out so there’s more room for other things. Thanks!
My plant is very healthly looking and all empty pods. I planted a mature plant from a nursury about 2.5 months ago. I have opened some of the empty pods to find insects (earlywiggs ??) inside. Are they eating the fruit and should I just destroy the plant or just wait and see if fruit develops ?
You either need to try and get rid of the insects or destroy the plant. Right now its just a home for insects and will not produce.
I live in New Zealand and have just been given some seeds from a person on a cooking site I visit. I have never seen Tomatillo’s except in the pictures on this site. I have a few recipes that use them, but cannot buy them except in tins from a specialist Mexican shop. How big do the plants grow and how far apart should I space them (I have never grown tomatoes). Locals do not plant frost sensitive plants outside until Labour weekend (last weekend in October). Unfortunately, last year we had a hard frost in late November which did a fair amount of damage.
Question. This is my first year planting Tomatillos. We will also be planting tomatoes and hoping to make salsa verde. How many plants would you suggest we plant (tomatillo plants). We’d like to make 20 or so pints of salsa. Also, am I correct in thinking that tomatillos and tomatoes will NOT cross pollinate?
Three to six plants should be plenty. I think three would actually be good but I usually plant a few extra plants in case weather or an animal or disease gets one or two.
If I have extra fruit I trade for something else or give them away.
There’s a possibility the tomatoes and tomatilloes could cross pollinate. Separate them or plant something tall between them.
Good luck. They are a fun plant to grow, Denise