Growing Tomatillo

Physalis ixocarpa : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                    S  
                      T

(Best months for growing Tomatillo in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 70°F and 81°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 28 inches apart
  • Harvest in 10-14 weeks. Husk splits when fruit is ripe..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Will happily grow in a flower border

Your comments and tips

30 Dec 20, (Australia - temperate climate)
Shriveling could be from hot sun, dry soil or fungi/disease. Suggested time to plant Sept-Oct.
08 Aug 20, Heather (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Do you have to have 2 plants in order for it to produce fruit?
14 Oct 20, Mjar (USA - Zone 8b climate)
yes, these plants need a partner to pollinate, I have found 4 plants is a good sweet spot to get enough tomatillos to do some sauce making (Salsa Verde) . I hope you found your answer already as it's now so late in the season! Good Luck.
06 May 20, Suzanne (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Seeds can be bought through www.glenseeds.co.za they have both the green and purple varieties.
26 Mar 20, Robin Duval-Smith (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Compared with a cape gooseberry which I have, how large does a single fruit of tomatillo grow? Is it rich in vitamin C...what other food values?
01 Apr 20, Anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Check on the internet.
22 Sep 19, June (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I am interested in either tomatillo plants or seeds. I am on the eastern side of Jhb.
14 Nov 19, anon (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Try internet seed selling companies.
13 Sep 19, Julie Elliott (Australia - temperate climate)
Bought one tomatillo at the green grocer near me. It was the 1st time I'd seen them selling tomatillo. I left it in the fruit bowl a few weeks and watched it shrivel up. Then I squished it open and left it another week or more to dry out and tonight I pricked out the seeds. Tomorrow I'll plant some seeds in a seed punnet and leave it on my north facing kitchen window sill to germinate. I'll do a punnet each week. The leftover seeds I'll keep for next year. Hopefully some will sprout. I travelled with a Mexican friend (from Mexico City) many years back and saw how she (and her maid) cooked them. I especially loved "drowned eggs". And I saw tomatillos growing wild in southern Mexico near the Guatemalan boarder. My memory is that it was a fairly lightly foliaged shrub like plant. Wish me luck.
11 Jun 18, Annie (Canada - Zone 3a Temperate Short Summer climate)
I am in Calgary Alberta and this spring I took a few tomatillo's and sliced them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and planted them into dirt right away. After I started to see small plant sprouts I took the slices out of the smaller pots and planted them right into the large planter for the rest of the grow season I will be back in the fall to let you know just how they faired
Showing 11 - 20 of 101 comments

can I eat my tomatillo raw?, can i eat before they turn purple

- damian reddington

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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