How to Grow Tomatillo
The essential guide to growing tomatillo from seed; with notes on germination, cultivation, harvest and even kitchen uses.
Meet the tomatillo family in the kitchen:
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Green tomatillos – ‘Toma Verde’, ‘Miltomate’. Tangy-bright flavour that holds its bite when roasted or blitzed into salsa verde. Pick just as husks split for maximum acidity.
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Yellow tomatillos – Mexican heirloom strains and ‘Pineapple’. Sweeter, citrus-y notes; perfect for fresh pico, chutney or blending with tropical fruit.
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Purple & red tomatillos – anthocyanin-rich blush that deepens on the sunnier side of the husk. Milder acid and gentle berry sweetness; great quartered raw or for vivid jam.
Seeds per gram: ~250–300 seeds
Germination temperature: 20–28 °C; sprouts in 7–15 days.
Feed requirements:
- Moderate – tomatillos forgive leaner soils than tomatoes but crop best with 4 L m⁻² compost plus a light handful (30 g) of balanced organic fertiliser dug in at planting.
- Side-dress or foliar spray with liquid fertiliser once fruit-set begins.
Germination & Seedlings:
- Start seed indoors 5–6 weeks before last frost. Cover 4 mm deep in seed-raising mix.
- Keep moist and warm; shift to bright light once up.
- Pot on at true-leaf stage and harden off for a week. Grow at least two plants for reliable cross-pollination.
Planting Out & Spacing:
Transplant after night lows stay above 12 °C.
- Space plants 50–60 cm apart (or 40 L pot per plant).
- Bury stems 5 cm deeper to encourage extra roots.
- Install a tomato cage or basket-weave stakes at transplant time; plants mature 1 m–1.2 m tall and sprawl if unsupported.
Raised beds or ridges speed soil warming and prevent waterlogging, which tomatillos dislike.
Growing On:
- Sun & water: full sun (≥ 6 h). Keep soil moist for best yield; mulching keeps fruit clean and moisture steady.
- Pruning: minimal – just lift low branches for airflow.
- Pollination: flowers are self-incompatible grow at least 2 plants; bees move pollen between plants. Windy or cold weather can hinder set, so grow in groups and add bee-friendly flowers nearby.
Common Problems & Fixes:
- Aphids / whitefly – spray with insecticidal soap and encourage ladybirds.
- Fruit fly (QLD/NT) – bag fruit once husks fill, or net whole plants.
- Blossom-end rot / splitting – keep watering even, ensure calcium in soil.
- Powdery mildew late season – water at soil level, thin canopy, treat with potassium bicarbonate if needed.
- Tomatillos share most tomato diseases; practise a 3-year rotation and remove crop debris after harvest.
Harvest & Storage:
- Fruit are ready when the papery husk turns straw-coloured and splits, yet the berry inside is still firm and glossy. Twist gently – ripe tomatillos often drop into your hand.
- Use fresh within a week or store, in husks, at 10 °C for 3–4 weeks.
- For longer keeping, peel, rinse sticky coating and freeze whole, or make a salsa and freeze.
From zingy green salsa to sweeter purple jams, home-grown tomatillos bring authentic Mexican flavour to any veggie patch – so plant a pair and let the husks fill!
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