Gigante (heirloom, zones 3-11, super-sweet flavor, 4-inch green fruits, 12-24 inches tall and wide, 60-90 days to harvest).Amarylla (heirloom, zones 3-10, sweet flavor, 1 to 2-inch fruits ripen from green to yellow, early producing, 24-36 inches tall and wide, 75-100 days to harvest).Here are some of the top tomatillo cultivars for home gardens.
One of the best aspects of homegrown veggies is the ability to try unique varieties that aren’t usually found at the grocery store or farmer’s market. To facilitate pollination, plant pollinator-friendly flowers like borage, cosmos, echinacea (coneflower), lavender, marigolds, milkweed, and snapdragons near your tomatillos to attract beneficial insects. That means cross-pollination between two or more plants is necessary for fruit production. Keep in mind that tomatillo plants are not self-pollinating. They’re closely related to cape gooseberries ( Physalis peruviana) and ground cherries ( Physalis philadelphica). Tomatillos belong to the Solanaceae or nightshade plant family, along with tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, and tobacco. Tomatillos ( Physalis ixocarpa) are annual plants native to Mexico. Start tomatillo seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your region’s expected last frost date. The best time to plant tomatillos depends on your USDA planting zone. Resolving Common Pest and Disease Problems.Harvesting and Storing Homegrown Tomatillos.Optimal Growing Conditions for Tomatillo Plants.What You Need to Know to Grow Tomatillos.
Let’s find out how to grow tomatillos and care for these spectacular plants. These plants are super fun to grow and immensely satisfying to harvest. These unique green fruits develop a papery outer husk that gradually fills up like a balloon as the tomatillo ripens. If you’ve never tried to grow tomatillos before, rest assured that you’re in for a special treat. Most growers start tomatillo seeds indoors several weeks before the last frost date. The plants have a relatively long growing season and require between 75 and 100 warm days to mature, depending on the variety. Successfully growing tomatillos is all about proper timing.
Keep reading to discover how to grow tomatillos and keep the plants flourishing in your garden until harvest time. Also called Mexican husk tomatoes, the fruits offer a brightly tangy flavor and appear in many of our favorite recipes, like salsa verde and posole. Tomatillos are wonderfully straightforward to grow at home if you can provide the proper environmental conditions.