Tips for Successfully Growing Tomatillos
Growing tomatillos is a benefit both to your kitchen as well as any other vegetables you may be growing in your garden. If you have heard good things about the tomatillo, but haven’t a clue as to what one looks or tastes like, then pay attention! The tomatillo is a fruit—much like the tomato—that comes in many colors. It is often grown in shades of yellow or green, but purple and red varieties are also available. This fruit grows within the protection of a husk-like shell, which reminds me somewhat of that which surrounds the exterior of onions. The taste of the tomatillo is quite unique. It does have a rather tart taste upon first biting into the fruit, but is followed by subtle notes of sweetness. It is most often used in the creation of Latin American sauces.
I mentioned that the practice of growing tomatillos isn’t just for taste, and you’re about to find out why! The tomatillo is known to be quite attractive to bees, which is a must-have for anyone who grows fruit or vegetables that require cross-pollination. Cross-pollination is the process in which a plant becomes fertile by receiving pollen from another plant. The pollen is usually transferred by insects, like bees. This means that you will have to grow more than one tomatillo plant, but the benefit of additional insects means that your other crops are more likely to flourish! A single tomatillo plant will grow on its own and produce flowers, but it will not produce fruit.
Growing tomatillos is relatively simple, as long as you bear a few things in mind. This particular plant needs full sun no matter what kind of environment it is grown in. They are sensitive to frost, but as long as your area has a good summer period, you should be able to look forward to harvesting plenty of fresh tomatillos. This type of plant is basically grown in the same manner as a tomato plant. The soil should be fairly close to neutral (a pH rating around 7) and the plant should be placed in an area that has good drainage. Growing any kind of plant in an area that has poor water drainage could result in the rotting of the plant’s roots.
You can start your tomatillo seeds off indoors and transplant them later, or plant them in their permanent outdoor location from the start. If you choose the first method, you will need to plant the seeds in a four inch pot during the last six weeks or so of winter, or about two months before the threat of frost disappears. Water the seedling whenever the soil feels dry, but do take care not to overwater. You will have the best results if you use a pot that has drain holes in the bottom. After the threat of frost has gone, you can start “hardening” your tomatillo plants to outdoor conditions. Start off by placing the plants outside in the sunlight for about an hour every day. If your tomatillo plants start to wilt or seem to struggle with the change, reduce the time to about half an hour each day, then gradually increase it.
After your plants seem to fare well on their outdoor excursions, you can transplant them into their permanent spot outdoors. The hardening process usually only takes about a week. When you transplant your tomatillos outside, go ahead and give the soil a good watering, but be careful not to overwater them. You can spread a bit of mulch around the plant to keep the moisture from escaping. If you are planting your seed outside from the start, simply place the seed about an inch and a half into the ground and backfill with the soil. No mulch is necessary for the first six weeks or so. General maintenance includes watering your plants when the soil becomes dry or when the plants start to wilt, as well as erecting some sort of support device such as a trellis or tomato cage.
The most enjoyable part of growing tomatillos is harvest time! As soon as the tomatillos have grown to the point that they have cracked or broken through the husk, they are ready to be picked. The fruit should feel firm when gently squeezed and will vary in size, regardless of ripeness. Some tomatillos are ripe when they reach the size of a small cherry tomato while others may be the size of a large golf ball. Ripened tomatillos should last about two weeks in the refrigerator.
I hope you have found this guide to growing tomatillos to be helpful. Best of luck with your crops!