FREE: Purple Tomatillos seeds

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20+ seeds
Tomatillos are the odd-looking distant cousins of the beloved tomato. Native to central America, they can be found growing wild in fields of corn and beans, and they are gathered to be eaten or sold in local markets. As with any abundant produce, the local cuisine has come to rely on its distinctive qualities. To prepare many Mexican food favorites, you need to be growing tomatillos in your garden.

The name and the requirements for growing tomatoes and tomatillos are similar, but the comparison really stops there. The appearance of a tomatillo (pronounced to-ma-TEE-yo) with its papery husk is quite different. In fact, it is also known as a husk tomato, due to the dry cover that surrounds the fruit.


Soil, Planting, and Care
Tomatillo flowers are pollinated by bees. Plant two plants for cross-pollination.
Tomatillo plants require cross-pollination, so you must plant at least two plants. Bees and other pollinators will be attracted to your tomatillo plants’ yellow blossoms.
Tomatillos grow in the summer garden just like their relatives: tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. In fact, the leaves look a little like the foliage of eggplant, but the fruit is like no other.

You will need two or more tomatillo plants for the blooms to be pollinated and fruit to be produced. Plan for each plant to produce about a pound of fruit over the season. However, most recipes call for ½ pound to make sauce, so plan to grow a minimum of 2 to 3 plants to have enough fruit ready to eat at one time. You may need more if you like them a lot.

Set plants in the garden in spring after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has begun to warm. Choose a sunny location, and enrich the soil with compost. You can set plants deep like you would a tomato, burying nearly 2/3 of the plant. Space plants about 3 feet apart with a trellis or cage to support them as they grow. Treat tomatillos as you would tomatoes, keeping the soil evenly moist. Mulch will help conserve moisture