Tomatillo

[gojiberry]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Ian

[Alison]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[jools]

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]

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

Jennifer

[zazen999]

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]

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.