Tomatillos - Anyone else growing them?

MissMoneypenny

I'm growing tomatillos for the first time and wondered if anyone else was growing these and wanted to share success rate/tips?

Linda32

Yes I am. Sucess rate, I sowed 4 seeds and 2 germinated. These two plants are now about 5 inches tall with flowers on at our allotment.

MissMoneypenny

Linda32 wrote: »

Yes I am. Sucess rate, I sowed 4 seeds and 2 germinated. These two plants are now about 5 inches tall with flowers on at our allotment.

Are you growing verde too?

I saw that most "experts" on the tv said they had to be grown in a greenhouse, but on gardening forums they said they did well outside, even in north England. Although all I could find on forums about tomatillos, was a few old threads. Are yours outside?

I don't know what my germination rate was as I just threw some seeds in a tray. I now have 10 that seem to range from being long and thin, to compact. I know 10 is a lot but I don't know how hardy they are? Plus we love mexican food and these tomatillos are expensive to buy.:)

They didn't like the stong winds a few weeks back and as mine are in buckets, I moved them to shelter. Do you stake yours?

I planted in late March and I'm not sure if they were too warm/not warm enough, but they got leggy very quickly and I potted them on, up to their necks. My shortest plant is about 20inches, but that is the one that has a large lantern. I was surprised at how big these lanterns are.

How often do you feed yours? All my plants have either tiny lanterns forming or lots of flowers and the bees seem to seek them out (even when I moved them to shelter). When do you start feeding yours? ?

Do/are you, over wintering your plants?

Sorry for all the questions. I had never heard of these plants before this year.

Linda32

Its okay, no problem

Sorry I do not know what verde is

Yes mine are outside. I do not have a greenhouse apart from a placcy one.

From memory if you have 10 plants that sounds like 100% germination rate. I do not think they are hardy at all. I assumed they died off in the same year.

I surpose I will stake them if they get taller.

I have not fed them yet. I will once and if they fruit.

I planted them out end of May. I wont try to over winter. I doubt they will.

sjoh0961

I sowed 4 at 100% success rate quite some time ago. Planted them out about a month ago in a raised bed, and they're now about 2 1/2 foot tall. Loads of flowers, but no sign of fruit.

I'm sure I read that you're not meant to stake them; they like to collapse, and will then root at various other points along the stem, effectively sending up more plants, like tomatoes would if not staked.

Not sure why I don't have any fruit yet...

Tim

MissMoneypenny

Linda32 wrote: »

Its okay, no problem
Sorry I do not know what verde is

The green tomattillo; the ones that are used for salsa. At least I hope they are verde as I bought a bag of the seeds from ebay. :eek:

There seems to be various types of tomatillos i.e. green, purple, yellow. Some types are small cherry tomatillos that are more like low ground cover.

Although I read that if you let some verde ones stay on the plant to turn yellow, then they taste like a cross between an apple and and orange. Time will tell.

Linda32 wrote: »

From memory if you have 10 plants that sounds like 100% germination rate.

I don't think I had the 100% germination rate that Tim had. If I was to guess, I would say about 30%, but it would only be a guess.

Linda32 wrote: »

I do not think they are hardy at all. I assumed they died off in the same year.

A gardener on one of the very old threads, said that she had her plants for 4 years. She grew them in a bucket and overwintered them, which gave them a quicker start as they are slower to grow fruit than tomatoes. Mine are in buckets so I thought I might try it but, like you, I only have a placcie greenhouse and the tomatillos will have to overwinter in the corner of two walls, covered with something, to try to keep off the frost.

MissMoneypenny

sjoh0961 wrote: »

I sowed 4 at 100% success rate quite some time ago. Planted them out about a month ago in a raised bed, and they're now about 2 1/2 foot tall. Loads of flowers, but no sign of fruit.

Well done. Do all four plants look the same? I have some leggy ones and some compact ones, but all have lots flowers and some lanterns growing. I was wondering because I bought the seeds from ebay.:D

sjoh0961 wrote: »

I'm sure I read that you're not meant to stake them; they like to collapse, and will then root at various other points along the stem, effectively sending up more plants, like tomatoes would if not staked.

Ohh. Mine won't be able to send out roots as they are on concrete or on the lawn. I read that they are hardy whatsits, but mine certainly didn't like the strong winds the other day.

I have built a small low cage around each of mine now using bamboo canes, because I read that if the lantern trails on the ground, then insects get in them. But they are now sort of flopping over the top of the cane structure, but off the ground.

sjoh0961 wrote: »

Not sure why I don't have any fruit yet...

I read that they take longer than tomatoes to fruit and that a main complaint is that people say they have lots of empty lanterns. Apparently the lantern grows first and then the tomatillo grows in it. I have one plant with a large lantern and I keep squishing it, but no sign of a tomatillo yet.

girlcalledpanda

I'm growing the green variety that apparently taste like limes! They seem quite hardy, I have them in plastic greenhouse and thought they were goners the other day after they wilted in the sun but they've sprung back lovely.

sjoh0961

All my plants look the same; pretty strong looking things. I had a closer look, and I think they are forming fruit; the petals seem to kind of turn into the lantern, and there looks like what might be a tiny green fruit inside.

I bought Suttons' James Wong-branded ones; not sure of variety, but they were described as being the fruit that salsa verde is made from.

Am looking forward to them. Also tried Inca berries and aspargagus peas from the same range. Fingers crossed!

rich_jtg

We have been given a tomattillo plant by a relative and have had flowers but no fruit.

I've later discovered that you need at least two plants as they don't self pollinate. :doh:

MissMoneypenny

sjoh0961 wrote: »

All my plants look the same; pretty strong looking things. I had a closer look, and I think they are forming fruit; the petals seem to kind of turn into the lantern, and there looks like what might be a tiny green fruit inside.

I bought Suttons' James Wong-branded ones; not sure of variety, but they were described as being the fruit that salsa verde is made from.

The petals drop off and the tiny husk(?) they were sitting in, becomes the lantern. I can feel tomatillos in the larger lanterns now but..............some of the lanterns are different:eek: I seem to have grown verde (green) and purple tomatillos (judging from the purple stripe on some green lanterns and my search on google).

It looks like it will be green salsa and purple salsa this year.:D