Growing tomatillos

  • You need to plant 2 tomatillos to ensure proper pollination and fruit set. They can be the same or different varieties.

  • Protect tomatillos from temperatures below 50 deg. F. (by covering or bringing indoors).

  • Tomatillos need support. They grow 4 to 5 feet tall and tend to sprawl. Using a cage of some sort to surround the plants works well. Be sure you have room to reach in to harvest the fruit.

  • Space about 2 feet apart.

  • Tomatillos will grow well in large containers (minimum 5 gallon), as they are more tolerant to stress from drought, heat, cold, and low nutrients once established.

  • Plant deeply so that more roots will develop along the stem.

  • Add a general purpose fertilizer at time of planting.

  • It’s time to harvest tomatillos when the papery husk has dried a bit and cracked open to reveal the fruit. Harvest earlier for a more tart taste, later for a more mellow flavor.

  • Tomatillos keep very well after harvest if spread out in a single layer in a tray.

    PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
    You can do one of the following:
    1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
    -OR (as I do)-
    2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.
    Go to the tomato page to see how I protect tomato and tomatillo plants with a mini greenhouse when I first put them out in the garden.

These are the tomatillo varieties I am offering in 2025.

Tomatillo ‘Super Verde’

Super Verde

60 to 70 days. Extra-large green tomatillo.
This productive hybrid has big, attractive, flat-round fruits. Plants produce heavy, early yields. A great choice for salsa verde, as the larger fruits are easier to process. Fruits average 3 to 6 ounces. F1 hybrid variety. (Park Seed)

Tomatillo ‘Mexican Strain’

Mexican Strain
65 days. A larger tomatillo, averaging 2 inches across, Mexican Strain has a more savory flavor than others we’ve tried. Because of its unique flavor, it is a preferred variety for many Mexican dishes, including salsa verde and chile verde. Open pollinated variety. (Territorial Seed)

Tomatillo ‘Pancho’

Pancho

60 days. Impressive yield and fruit size for a semi-early tomatillo. Strong, vigorous plant develops a thick trunk to bear the fruit load. Round to apple-shaped fruit. Similar to Super Verde in size and yield, but produces rounder, more uniform fruits earlier and has a more open plant habit. Fruits are about twice the size of Toma Verde’s. F1 hybrid variety. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)