Grow Your Own Magazine

gojiberry · #1 (**permalink**) 20-05-2008, 06:23 PM

Have some tomatillo for the first time, can it be grown out on the lottie or am I better off keeping them under cover. How large do they grow??

Ian

gojilottie

FoxHillGardener · #2 (**permalink**) 20-05-2008, 06:36 PM

Mine last year got about 5 foot tall in a big pot on the patio. Don't know if it would have got any bigger in the ground, but this year I will try them in the ground and see

Don't know about under cover, I've not got a greenhouse - yet

zazen999 · #3 (**permalink**) 20-05-2008, 08:29 PM

Hi

Tomatillos can grow really wide, as well as tall. Make sure you grow 2 together or they won't produce the fruit.

I generally treat them like tomatoes until they are in the ground, and then apart from watering in the evenings on really hot days; leave them pretty much alone until the little packages get big and the tomatillos themselves start to ripen.

Best on the lottie to give them the room they love.

nomad · #4 (**permalink**) 20-05-2008, 10:35 PM

i am growing these for the first time in my polytunnel but they are not planted together how close do they have to be?
does it matter if they planted next to tomatoes?

zazen999 · #5 (**permalink**) 20-05-2008, 10:39 PM

They don't have to be that close; 2 in a polytunnel should be fine. Unless the polytunnel is mahoosive of course. As long as the insects can spread the pollen around you should be ok. It doesn't matter if they are planted next to toms; but they can get quite a span on them so they need some room to grow.

gojiberry · #6 (**permalink**) 21-05-2008, 12:08 AM

Will now have to find room on the lottie. Thanks for the info.

Ian

Alison · #7 (**permalink**) 21-05-2008, 01:41 PM

I grew them outside quite happily during the rubbish summer we had last year and they're going outside again this year - when I get the chance to clear that part of the garden and they're fully hardened off.

momol · #8 (**permalink**) 21-05-2008, 08:33 PM

I plant out my 3 tomatillo plants 2 weeks ago, they are planted 50cm apart in a row but to be honest I don't know what their best spacing too as it is new to me. They seems to be growing happily and fruiting too.

Paulottie · #9 (**permalink**) 22-05-2008, 12:17 AM

I've got three in the back of a greenhouse about fifteen 50cm too and four in a little square with a similar spacing on the lottie. They are the purple ones but and it said best in greenhouse but we shall see.

Hi Momol, how's it going, your must be nearly ready by now!!! I think mine look a lot sturdier now.

momol · #10 (**permalink**) 22-05-2008, 07:50 PM

Hi Paul,

Yours is catching up with mine

.

I can feel the tomatillo fruit inside the husk, they are ranging from 1.5 to 2cm in diameter but the husk are around 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter so it will take some weeks to reach fully ripe, I think !
At the moment, only 2 tomatillo plants has fruit on them ,the third one is the sturdiest with very big leaves but with not even a single flower yet !
I am hoping to taste some of the fruit before we move house as I can't take them with me

.

Paulottie · #11 (**permalink**) 23-05-2008, 07:02 AM

Oh no Momol! You can't get them into pots or leave them with a friend?

jools · #12 (**permalink**) 23-05-2008, 05:32 PM

Oh oh. Didn't realise you needed two plants. That was completely missed out of the info in the catalogue when I bought it last year! So, now I have a 5 foot plant with no-one to love!
Jools

Garden_girlie21 · #13 (**permalink**) 23-05-2008, 05:38 PM

I sowed soem tomatillo seeds a couple of days ago - is this too late? Will I still get a reasonable crop?

Jennifer

zazen999 · #14 (**permalink**) 23-05-2008, 06:12 PM

Hi
It really depends on the weather this summer; but if you have sown them and you have space they make an interesting display anyway.

momol · #15 (**permalink**) 24-05-2008, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulottie

Oh no Momol! You can't get them into pots or leave them with a friend?

Good Morning Paul,
I could pot them up but I already has more than 30 big pots of plants (ranging from 10 to 100 lt pots) and don't have the capacity for extra

, sending them to family/friend is not a solutions too, they don't like growing edible and the other thing is, the new house has big garden (lawn) but with out any vegetable patch (it is going to be bone breaking, I am afraid).

No worries, I can always harvest more tomatillo and everything else when ever I want/when they are ready (as long as our house not sold yet

). I am just sad with all my seeds saving plan, it has to wait till next year in our new place.

Paulottie · #16 (**permalink**) 25-05-2008, 10:16 AM

Hi Momol, So you'll be hiring a turf stripper then?!!

momol · #17 (**permalink**) 25-05-2008, 10:30 AM

I would love to hire one if I can find it and slowly build raised bed system again

.
We will have to (eventually) invest in a mini tractor for mowing the land too (it is a bit over 2 ha) which the normal electric mower can't cope

. We went to have a look at those machines (mini tractors) last week and they are so pricey

.

Paulottie · #18 (**permalink**) 25-05-2008, 10:40 AM

Get a goat!

momol · #19 (**permalink**) 25-05-2008, 10:47 AM

We are thinking of advertising it as "free fresh grass : come, mow as much as you can and take them away for free"

Paulottie · #20 (**permalink**) 06-07-2008, 11:35 AM

Ok, looking good now.... so how do I tell when the tomatillos are ripe?

gojiberry · #21 (**permalink**) 06-07-2008, 12:57 PM

I think when the outer bit goes brown and like paper and the fruit inside should be a dark purple. Not sure but I think some people use the fruit when still green but not to sure of that.

Ian

Paulottie · #22 (**permalink**) 06-07-2008, 01:21 PM

Thanks..that reminds me mine are suposed to turn purple...definately still green but have got loads of them!

zazen999 · #23 (**permalink**) 06-07-2008, 01:29 PM

Firstly the fruit inside should fill the paper wrapper...if so then you can use them pretty much straight away - I used to chop mine into chillis etc as soon as the wrapper was full.

Some do wait until the husk dries out, which is probably the way to go if you want them raw in salsas.

Alison · #24 (**permalink**) 06-07-2008, 07:19 PM

Would be very surprised if they're ready in the UK yet, didn't pick mine until well into August last year but suppose it was a rubbish year and I probably planted them a bit late. Don't really like them raw particularly but they make mighty fine salsas.