tomatillos

Growing tomatillos

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

• 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.

• 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 2024.

Super Verde
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. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

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)

Rio Grande Verde
70-80 days. At 2 to 3", it's one of the largest tomatillos on the market! Large, globe-shaped, bright green, heirloom fruits have a sweet/tart flavor and weigh approx. 3 to 4 oz. each. As fruits ripen to light green, they will fill out their husks to the point of splitting, at which time they can be harvested. Use fresh or cooked - a must have for salsa verde. Also great roasted, grilled and sauteed. Support not necessary, but helpful. High yielding. Determinate. (Totally Tomatoes)

Two Color Fiesta
Purple and Toma Verde (will be labeled individually)
Our heirloom purple-skinned variety is prolific with small, sweet/tangy fruits that are great grilled or in purple salsa. Green-skinned Toma Verde is imported from Mexico, with crispy fruits on strong vines. Enjoy both sweet-tart flavors for summer salsas, rich-tasting stews and savory sauces. (Renee’s Garden)