EDIBLEharvest

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. 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 Growing Tips

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!

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.

Before digging the holes for your seedlings, cover the surface of the soil with a dusting of bone meal. Dig a hole deep enough to bury the seedling up to its leaves, not covering the leaves, and water thoroughly. Plants should be separated by 2–3 feet in rows 3 feet apart. Keep the soil moist, but not drenched. Tomatillos do not need rich soil to flourish and they don’t require fertilizing. Harvest the Tomatillos when the fruit has fully filled the husk and even broken out of the husk. Tomatillos also grow exceptionally well in containers. Follow the above instructions for starting the seeds indoors and hardening the seedlings off, then use these container-growing tips. First, Tomatillos should be grown in pots that are at least 14 inches in diameter and 14–16 inches deep (we believe 18-inch pots are the ideal size): one plant per container. Most Tomatilloes require staking, so plant the stake when you plant the seedling. Second, on the day you plant the seedling, place a generous ring (1/2–3/4 cup) of bonemeal around the seedling, approximately 6 inches from the stem. The ring of bonemeal will be approximately 12 inches in diameter. Third, Tomatillos are somewhat susceptible to blossom end rot, which is a calcium deficiency. The bonemeal effectively cures this problem. Fourth, unlike Tomatillos grown in the garden, container-grown Tomatillos must be fertilized at least every other week with full-strength fertilizer that is rich in phosphorus. Tomato plant food does a good job. Plants that are not fed in this way will have limited fruiting. These plants are so easy to grow, vigorous, and adaptable to less-than great growing environments. Generally, they are forgiving of mistreatment, poor soil, and drought. This makes them great

Tomatillo Tastes

This August, indulge yourself by making an incredible salsa from the deliciously sweet-tart Tomatillos you harvested from your own garden, and this winter, on a dreary cold day, after a week of sunless days, bask in the memories of last summer’s sun-filled warmth with a warm bowl of a stunningly flavorful Tomatillo Soup. o

Barbara Melera is the president of Harvesting History (www.harvesting-history.com), a company founded in 2016 to provide horticultural and agricultural products, largely of the heirloom variety, along with garden tools and equipment.