Tomatillo
Physalis philadelphica
You need two plants. One on its own will flower all summer and set almost nothing.
Self-incompatible - plant two
Tomatillos cannot pollinate themselves. This is far and away the commonest reason for a big healthy plant covered in flowers that sets almost no fruit. Plant at least two, ideally three, close enough for insects to move between them.
Grow them like tomatoes, but tougher
Start indoors six to eight weeks before last frost and transplant after frost into warm soil. They are more drought-tolerant and less fussy than tomatoes, and they thrive on relatively poor soil - rich ground with heavy nitrogen gives enormous plants and little fruit.
They get big and sprawling
Expect three to four feet across and as tall. Cage or stake them like an indeterminate tomato, or accept a wide low thicket that is hard to pick through. Plants sprawling on the ground root where they touch and become unmanageable.
Harvest by the husk
The papery husk fills out first and the fruit expands to split it. Pick when the husk has just split and the fruit is firm and bright green - that is the classic salsa verde stage, tart and gel-like. Left longer they yellow or purple and sweeten, which some people prefer for eating raw.
Fallen fruit is fine
Ripe tomatillos drop, and fruit picked up off the ground in good condition is perfectly usable. Check under the plants every few days during the harvest.
Pests and disease
Three-lined potato beetle is the specialist pest and looks like a striped Colorado potato beetle; hand-pick. Cutworms take seedlings - use collars. They are generally less troubled by disease than tomatoes, though the same wilts can affect them, so rotate away from nightshades.
They self-sow enthusiastically
Any dropped fruit you miss will produce volunteers next year, often dozens. Some gardeners never plant them again after the first year; others find it a nuisance. Pull volunteers early if you want to control where they grow.
Storage
In the husk they keep two to three weeks in a paper bag in the fridge, longer than a tomato. Husked and washed they freeze whole very well for cooking, and salsa verde freezes or cans reliably.
- Days to harvest
- 75-100
- Start indoors
- 6-8 wks pre-frost
- Spacing
- 24-36 in
- Row spacing
- 36 in
- Sun
- Full
- pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Plants needed
- Two or more
- Support
- Cage