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Tomatillo Tips:
Growing the Tantalizing Mexican Husk Tomato
By Barbara Melera Tomatillos, like their cousins the Ground Cherries and the ornamental Chinese Lanterns, are members of the Physalis family of plants that produce their fruit in husks known as calyx. Like tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes, tomatillos are members of the Nightshade family. Ground Cherries and Tomatillos produce edible fruit. The fruit of the Chinese Lantern is not edible. Tomatillos are Physalis ixocarpa. They are distantly related to tomatoes and peppers. Tomatillos are native to Central and South America, where they grow wild and abundantly. An early discussion of Tomatillo ‘Toma Verde’ was included in the writings of Elie-Abel Carriere (French botanist, 1818–1896) in 1882. The name Physalis comes from the Greek word for bladder and refers to the husk, which surrounds and protects the fruit. These plants are very, very old, having been grown by indigenous peoples for millennia. The Tomatilla fruits were used in sauces. The husk fruits are often overlooked in the garden and this is a shame, because they offer great beauty and scrumptious flavor—two assets we gardeners seek aggressively. 14
WASHINGTON GARDENER
JULY 2022
They are an annual even in their native habitats, but they self-seed so prolifically from decaying fruit that many believe them to be perennials. The varieties that we grow today are thought to have come from a wild, large fruited variety that was native to central Mexico. The cultivated varieties available today are purple or green.
Tomatillo Types
Tomatillo ‘Toma Verde’ is a green Tomatillo. The fruit can be quite large for a Tomatillo, 1–2 oz. The flavor is deliciously tart with only a hint of sweetness. The plants can grow easily to 3–4 feet even in a container. For maximum productivity (50–100 fruits per plant), two plants should be planted, but no more, and they do not have to be close to one another. This is the closest relative to the
ancient tomatillo. The plants have an arching, umbrella-like shape that is quite lovely. From the stems dangle fruit in their lime-green husks, leaving the impression of dozens of parachuting golf balls floating to Earth. Tomatillo ‘Purple’ is a descendant of a wild tomatillo that grows in the cornfields of Mexico known as milpas. The 3–4 foot plants are strikingly ornamental with green stems laden with fruit whose husks have deep-purple veins. The fruit itself is bi-colored—purple and lime green and 1–2 inches in diameter. The purple tomatillo is slightly sweeter than the green variety. Tomatillos picked fresh and eaten immediately have such a rich sweet-tart taste that they can hardly be compared to the fruits available from a grocery store. They make a great salsa, but are also delightful as a condiment for salad greens. The plants are shaped much the same as ‘Toma Verde’. They easily produce 50–100 fruit in a growing season. I love tomatillos and always have two in my garden. I have found that they are much more likely to produce fruit in cool, cloudy summers than tomatoes, so if I don’t get tomatoes, I will always have tomatillos!
Tomatillo Growing Tips
Start tomatillos at the same time that you start your tomatoes: approximately 6 weeks before you transplant outside. Do not start earlier or the seedlings will become leggy and suffer from lengthy transplant shock. Seeds should be planted in average soil and covered with ½ inch of soil. The soil should be very warm, and placing a heating pad underneath the pots is recommended. Before transplanting into the garden, harden the seedlings off by placing them outside during the day for 5–7 days. For an additional 3–5 days, leave the seedlings outside both day and night.
