5 Tomatillo Growing Mistakes to Avoid

[@SerialSpinner-ss]

I discovered a wonderful use for tomatillo fruit this year. I used them half and half with raspberries to make pie. The blend of flavors is distinctive and really tasty. You have to add a little extra thickener because they have a lot of liquid but they make the best pie ever. I took 2 raspberry/tomatillo pies to our local pie social and they were a huge hit! For a 9 inch deep dish pie I used 1 cup sugar, 2-1/2 T tapioca flour, 2-1/2 T corn starch, 1 t Ceylon cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg with about 7 cups mixed tomatillos and raspberries. I cooked the filling in a sauce pan to make sure there was enough thickener, poured it into the unbaked crust, dotted with butter and then topped with a lattice of crust. Baked at 350 F until it was bubbling all through and crust was done. (about 35 min)🙂

[@NextdoorHomestead]

What?! This is such a cool recipe. We've got a new raspberry planted this year and will of course have more tomatillos next year. I am 100% going to try this out =)

[@SerialSpinner-ss]

@@NextdoorHomestead You will love it!

[@azurethehecc5898]

def gon try this

[@felicitywoodruffe4087]

These grow in crazy numbers in my garden in the uk .I'm not keen on the taste on their own but thank you so much for this really great idea .I'm going to try tomatillos and kiwi Tomatillo and Tinned pineapple chunks Tomatillo and peach or nectarine Tomatillo and rhubarb in a crumble Tomatillo and bramley cooking apple in crumble and in a pie . Snow at the moment but I can wait

[@prairie_dawn]

Also used tomatillos in my fall "apple" crisp, using half apples/half tomatillo. Needed to reduce the sugar in recipe, they are very sweet.

[@bobcaldwell5810]

Best tomatillo info I've found on KZbin by far. Accurate, quick, concise, and no BS. New subscriber here. Keep it up man

[@NextdoorHomestead]

That's awesome to hear Bob - really appreciate it. I love growing tomatillos and hope to see them become a more popular entry in the garden. Best of luck with yours!

[@bobcaldwell5810]

Thanks buddy. I've been growing peppers, tomatoes, and kitchen herbs for 25 years. This is my first time growing tomatillos though. We recently moved from a condo in San Diego to rural Maryland and now we have 3.5 acres to play with 🙂 I love cooking Mexican food, so if all goes well we should have plenty of salsa verde this year. As you noted, it freezes well, so I'd love to load up. Your vid was very helpful. Everything else I found seemed to be "this is... uhh... my plant... uhh... it makes a lot of fruit". Great. Wtf do I do with that info? Your vid actually answered all my questions and I appreciate that you acknowledged the mistakes you made. No one's perfect, and mistakes are good learning experiences. Great work

[@SkipperXoOo]

I appreciate you getting right into it and not forcing me to watch a long, drawn out & annoying intro. I have a super short attention span and usually get irritated & click off mid intro. Anyhoo, this is my first time growing these. Thanks for the info!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Glad to help! Hope yours grow amazingly for ya. And thanks for the kind words about the video =)

[@felicitywoodruffe4087]

I kept the little paper like casings and when dry I painted them with watercolour brush pens they are truly beautiful and hold the colour .I threaded them onto a long string picked a large twig from My garden then spray painted it chalk white .I popped some corn and thread that onto a long string.I bought some hollow chocolate eggs and glued thread to the top of each egg wrapper then decorated the twig added micro fairy lights and sprayed some vermicelli nests and added fluffy yellow baby chick's. Placed the mess and chicks on the twig and set it on my dining table it was gorgeous.mycgildren helped with the threading and placing things on the 'tree' twig .the tomatillo casings open out like a beautiful star shape .

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Wait, what?! This sounds like such a fun project. Any chance you have a picture of the end result? Such a cool idea!

[@JimJWalker]

After two years of failure this year my Tomatillo plants are doing amazing! I have five plants that will produce!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

YAY! So happy to hear it. When they are healthy, boy-oh-boy do they produce well!

[@cokesonyou1201]

Growing tomatillos this year and decided to check the interwebs for tips! Stumbled upon this vid and im glad ! I didnt know that one needs more than one plant but thankfully out of 4 i planted i have 2 ! I guess ill need to place em close though so the pollinators pollinate em!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I hope they produce so well for you! We just got ours in the ground a few days back and they're already looking so happy - love these plants =) Anyhow, I'm so glad our video helped and thank you for watching!

[@TheAlvaradoHomesteadAdventure]

This is the best video I have found on Tamotillo thus far, thanks for getting to the point and being so educational!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

No problem at all! I'm so glad you found it useful =)

[@ecraecsecraecs]

Amazing info. A random tomatillo plant started growing in the backyard. I want to transfer it to a pot. It's giving lots of babies.

[@Pin0Colada]

This is my first year growing tomatillo. I have 6 plants I started from seed and I plan to grow them in 5 gallon grow bags. I’m grouping them all together with some potted hibiscus and other flowers nearby to attract pollinators. Fingers crossed! Great videos btw!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you! You're going to be eating a whole lot of salsa with six plants! I love it!

[@DALUmode]

Hi! I noticed the little holes on the leaves. I had 2 tomatillo plants and I noticed they started getting more and more holes on the leaves. One of the plants just died 😢 and the other is not producing any more fruit. Perhaps the season is over for it. Are the holes a disease? Can I overwinter them? Thanks! Love your channel! 😊

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Ours are very likely from flea beetles - probably exacerbated by having them right next to a row of eggplants. Not a disease but can take out a young plant unfortunately. Luckily older plants tend to be resilient enough to deal with the damage or you can try to take them out more proactively.

[@DALUmode]

@NextdoorHomestead can they be overwintered? Chop everything down to the minimum? Or do I need to start again inside in late winter?

[@amburkajama]

I’m having major tomatillo issues this year and nearly decided to just buy them next year, but you have convinced me to give it another try. My tomatillo seedlings definitely were taller and too close to the lights and most had edema. I just recently found your channel by researching BER, after seeing so many videos pushing old or bad info. I even printed out the scientific articles your referenced and have started reading them! I hope you continue this scientific focus on your channel. There are so many otherwise good channels that could be better if they didn’t assume they knew everything after gardening for two years and reading a few books. I’m so glad I found your channel. Can you let us know what USDA zone and/or latitude you are in? When I know that if I it helps me adjust advice to my Zone 6, 39.27 degrees latitude growing area.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

What a thoughtful, delightful comment! Thanks for checking out our channel Mary. I'm sorry to hear about your tomatillos, but glad to hear you're open to giving them another shot! I love having them in the garden as they're so (relatively) easy once established. The edema is truly frustrating though. I think we'll do the same thing next year as this year and split them up into different trays so that at least it's less likely to affect all our tomatillo seedlings on the seed starting rack. It's terrific to hear you enjoy the research aspects we've tried to incorporate into some of the videos. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it makes the whole process so interesting for us. Lots to learn but I hope to share what's helpful as we grow more and more of our own food =) We're growing in zone 9 and our growing season is long (last frost date is early March) with extremely little rainfall and persistently high temperatures. We also experience relatively low humidity levels.

[@EasyZ-p1e]

Thank you for sharing such valuable information about tomatillos plants 🪴.

[@Jay-bf8yp]

Thanks for the video. Second year growing and I'm planning on planting these so I can can green enchaladas sauce and salsa. Hopefully this helps!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Good luck! Definitely worth it IMO =)

[@gryphonrampant24]

OMG YES. Tomatillos are the only thing I use tomato cages for!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

They're growth habit is so unique IMO. Doesn't quite match anything else in the garden. Neither bush nor really vining.

[@IAMGiftbearer]

I'm growing several purple tomatillo plants currently. I had to replant some seeds because they did not all germinate and one's cotyledon wore away, so it could not grow true leaves after some vermiculite got stuck to it. However the first 2 that did well are now growing like gangbusters noticeably each day! I have the later ones coming up now too but it seems they don't really take off until about 2 weeks. I am trying to get 5 good ones to start before transplanting them outdoors. I also have Pineapple Tomatillos but have not tried planting those yet. I plan on doing all 3 colors eventually. I love Tomatillo salsa! Looking forward to not having to buy my ingredients at the store!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I want to get some more color diversity in my tomatillos next year too! We got so many this year I couldn't even use them all in time. Going to need a bigger salsa operation next year!

[@IAMGiftbearer]

@@NextdoorHomestead I just watched your video again and realized my biggest 2 plants have those bumps and the lower leaves are yellow and blotchy and a little wilty. They are in one of those wicking jars in which the net cup has potting mix in it but down below that is nutrient solution, so maybe when the roots grew down into that it caused that edema. Hopefully they will still adapt when I put them in the ground outdoors without going into transplant shock. Other than that they seem to be progressing well! They now have a bunch of flowers on them! Is there a way to tell if a flower is pollinated by looking at it? How soon after flowering will you see fruit forming?

[@WakefieldTolbert]

I grow these year in and out. Fantastic and easy way also to get Vitamin C as well. They're apparently tougher than many garden plants.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I didn't realize they were high in Vitamin C - thank you for the tip! They're sure hardier than the other nightshades in my summer garden =)

[@laurafrey5244]

You are an excellent teacher!!! Just found you accidentally, and I'm thrilled.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I'm so glad you're enjoying our videos and thank you for joining!

[@daroldw4606]

Thanks brother!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Most welcome! Happy gardening =)

[@alligator_pie]

Very informative , first time tomatillo grower here. Never even considered that they do not self pollinate well. Do you think different varieties can pollinate each others? I have limited space in my garden so I settled on 2 toma verde and 1 purple tomatillo (which is growing like a beast, great tip about not letting it burn with the rest of the other much shorter Tomatoes). I’ll start a second purple just in case .

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yay! Very glad it was informative =) I have always grown just one variety at a time so I can't speak from experience but other growers report good pollination with different varieties. Never hurts to grow an extra though ;)

[@goldengryphon]

Howdy! Zone 9a, high humidty area. I'm looking forward to getting my tomatillos out in time for some growing this year. I'm already behind, but at least the garden is getting worked on. Thank you for the lovely information. I have a friend who is trying to landrace her "husk nightshades" to see if the various tomatillos she has from living in New Mexico will cross with the ground cherries that do so well in many places. I'd try something similar - ground cherries with a kick or tomatillos with that kind of sweetness would be fun - but I have native "husk cherries" around here and would rather not poison myself. Best thoughts for a new growing year!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Right back at you - best of luck this year! Breeding your own landraces always sounds like such a fun project. Our ground cherries and tomatillos just popped up - super excited for both this year =)

[@kimstearns9263]

If I tip the tomatillo tops will they grow bushy instead of straight up? they are in a. garden box that is covered thanks

[@SerialSpinner-ss]

I grew tomatillos this year for the first time and overall they did well. We did have one mystery that I haven't heard anyone else talk about. I have 4 plants in a row. The first one in the row put on lots of fruit right away. The next one put on a little less fruit while the third one had less. The last one in the row grew a lot of flowers, got really tall and sturdy but didn't have any fruit. I noticed an excess of ant activity at that end of the row and they were very busy in the blossoms of the fruitless tomatillo. They were also thick in the blossoms of my squash at that end of the row. It seemed like the ants were preventing pollination so I mixed up some sugar, borax and water to kill ants. After the ant population was reduced, the tomatillo plant immediately started to put on fruit. Has anyone else had this problem with ants? It took all summer to figure it out but the ants also have been eating all the blossoms from my yard long beans resulting in a harvest of zero. So disappointing. I may try the beans again next year but will be sure to spray them regularly with Safer soap to kill ants. Just putting the borax/sugar mixture out wasn't enough to save the beans. We're in Montana and every other gardener I've asked about yard long beans said that they tried them once but they "did nothing". I wonder if the ants were busy in their gardens, too.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

That's fascinating Sarah, thank you for sharing. And sorry to hear about the crop loss. We have enormous ant populations that I treat as beneficial unless I see them farming aphids - I'm going to pay attention and look at their activity on our pole beans and squash plants (where they're plentiful). I wonder if they're harming the blossoms. Thank you for an interesting topic to research!

[@SerialSpinner-ss]

@@NextdoorHomestead The ants didn't seem to bother my bush beans but evidently the exotic yard long beans are tasty to them. Next season I'll try scarlet runners and some other climbing beans. This year was my first garden so I'm learning a lot!

[@mikey6071]

@@NextdoorHomestead first year having the issue with ants, sucking the sap out of the bottom of my cucumber leaves. Diatomaceous earth, soapy water with neem oil, white vinegar and seven dust didn't slow them down, so I ended up pulling them up and tossing in the trash. Liked and new subscriber!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

@@mikey6071 Thank you! Lovely to have you =) This thread has me thinking for sure. Our ants were very present on both the long beans and cucumbers this year although I paid them no mind. I wonder if they were causing damage that I mistakenly attributed to the white flys.

[@neveser]

TY for the tips! I've got 4 plants this year. We usually plant 2 and end up with a moderate harvest.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

You are so welcome! I'm sure you'll do great with four plants - it doesn't take a ton to be full up on salsa verde^^

[@juliekeel5534]

Great Info and super fun to watch. I have a short attention span and I found it easy to watch your video. Subscribed.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Woohoo! So glad to hear it! I'm potting up our tomatillo seedlings today - can't wait for some green salsa already =)

[@Larkz0717]

growing these for the first time this year! This video was a great help!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yay! So glad to hear that =) Just about everyone I talk to (who grows more than one plant) ends up really enjoying them. The fruit is a bit specific in how you use it but there are good ideas out there on creative ways to utilize tomatillos in the kitchen^^

[@Larkz0717]

@@NextdoorHomestead we found a love for salsa verde the last couple of years.. so that's what made me decide to grow them! specifically to make our own!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

@@Larkz0717 It's funny... salsa verde is probably the thing my wife and I look forward to the most from our garden these days. We'll grow thousands of plants but somehow the tomatillo gets the most anticipation. Well, that and the cherry tomatoes ;)

[@aarontomaselli4910]

Wish I found this video earlier. I thought I started 2 plants in an AeroGarden a few months back, one grew really big and the other was just a mossy grow sponge. I transferred the one plant outside into a container and thought I could get away with cloning part of it. The plant looked dead for a day but really came back after adjusting to outdoor conditions. I'm rushing a purple variety in the AeroGarden now so at least I have another plant out there before the frost hits. The single plant I moved outside is still in a container and is massive. Should I be pruning this thing at all? It does have the little lanterns all over the place growing at all different sizes.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Aaron, thanks for chiming in! You can prune the suckers to manage the space and airflow, but I don't with the bushier varieties. Do your paper lanterns feel empty inside or do any of them have a small fruit growing inside?

[@aarontomaselli4910]

@@NextdoorHomestead Not sure what variety this one is, just some random Burpee Green Tomatillo. I felt some of the bigger lanterns, and yes there are fruits in them. I also tried the same AeroGarden method with grocery store Goldenberries. No flowers on those yet, probably started too late.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Well cool sounds like you're getting some pollination at least. It's strange how they seem mostly self incompatible and then some folks report fruiting with only one plant. Wish I could find a definitive study on the topic!

[@jasonlivinghouse330]

4:20 Where did you get this information? Did you find it in a research paper or you have done an experiment yourself? I found the paper "Reproductive biology and hybridization of Physalis L. species" published last year on Journal of Botany showing data that tomatillos are self-compatible--it's ranked the 4th of the most self-compatible species in the Physalis L. If you have sound data to support that tomatillos are highly non-self-compatible, it can be a revolutionary paper to publish.

[@YogalignKauai]

I live in Kauai and we just grew our first plant from seed. There were several that came up and we are already getting fruit. We are planting more seeds now using the variety with really large fruit but I am wondering if the first plant will just keep growing and making fruit since we do not have winter here in Kauai. Anyone know if it will just keep going? I have seen eggplants grow for years here and turn into a huge bush in a friend's yard. The plant is getting huge and sending out more branches although it is supported in a tall tomato cage. I saw in another video that it can make root branches from the stem and keep traveling.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I wish I could share any insight but unfortunately I've never perennialized/overwintered a tomatillo plant. However, I can confirm that they are perennials just like your friends eggplants =) Good luck!

[@PlantObsessed]

Why isnt your channel bigger? Great videos. Love the deep dive on specific plants. Thank you.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you! I love making the plant grow guides as well, the most recent one on Swiss Chard was super fun. Hope your garden is treating you well this year =)

[@judyl.4043]

I make a Colorado style Green Chili with tomatillos. I am learning to grow them, and there's not much out there to help. I sure appreciate your videos and thank you for addressing tomatillos, which most people don't even know about. People think that Florida is great for growing just about anything, but the intense heat and humidity actually make it really hard to get these little guys happy. My biggest problem is spider mites. 😢 I am currently using an isopropyl +diatomaceous earth spray. But, it's just a constant battle. 🙁

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I only have a little experience growing in Florida but I can imagine it's a battle. I hope your tomatillos take off - I just love having them in the garden.

[@amandabeebe5734]

First time growing and was excited to find a butterfly and ladybug today, but my leaves are all turning yellow! Soil is nice and dry. The are browning on the edge before turning yellow. Is this edema?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

YAY for butterflies and ladybugs - saw some today myself =) Browning on the edge and going yellow doesn't sound like edema at first blush. Are just the oldest, bottom leaves showing these signs or all of them?

[@amandabeebe5734]

It seems to be leaves towards the bottom of the plant rather than the top.

[@pengyou26]

I typically direct sow my tomatillo seeds in my garden and have never had any issues until this year. So the plants look nice and healthy, but for some reason the roots are really shallow this year. Normally they’ve had much deeper roots, but not this year. Should I be worried? I considered gently pulling up the stalks and planting them deeper, but don’t want to risk the chance of losing my hole crop. Thoughts or suggestions?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

How frustrating! I know just what you mean - sometimes nightshades just don't develop deep roots in their pots for some reason. Happened to a lot of my peppers this year. I can only share my experience of course, but unfortunately I have found it to be an indicator that the plant isn't going to be as robust in the long run. If it was me, I would get them into the garden (buried a little extra deep and with good support on a trellis) as soon as nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees. Assuming the roots are strong enough to be handled and moved at all.

[@nccrchurchunusual]

I live in the high desert- very dry & hot in summer, ground doesnt fully thaw until late May/ early June. Only had 1 tomatillo plant, it is large & baring fruit but lots of empty lanterns. I will remember to get 2 plants next time. Although last time I grew them, they reseeded the next year. Have your ever grown Ground Cherries? Similar lantern, but smaller and a nice lightly sweet fruit. They grow super ez & reseed every where, which I dont mind. In the desert- if it grows, let it.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Every time I get mopey about our blistering hot summers, someone from the desert chimes in and I remember it could be much tougher! Thanks for keeping me honest ;) I think I'm going to have to make room (somehow, somewhere) next year for ground cherries. I'd really like to incorporate more "fruity" tasting plants and I think it'd fit the bill.

[@rvmush3883]

Oooh my new love is ground cherries. Saved my own seeds last year. Fingers crossed 🤞

[@paulajleal]

I wish I could show you how well my tomatillos did in spite of me knowing nothing! The stems were thicker than a 50cent piece and at least 6’ tall… I realized earlier on I blew it by nort staking them early… I used 2x2’s and 2x4’s to prop them up… I grew 6 of them in a 12 ‘ x 4 ‘ garden box… it was insane and I was so upset for not learning about them… they did yield quite a bit but not near the size you held up…. Now I’m making pickles and salsa… I’ll do better nest year

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Woah! That is a serious number of tomatillo plants! Y'all are in for some good salsa nights it sounds like =) The toma verde variety I was growing in this video does produce some really nice large fruits but I'm considering a variety with even bigger ones for next year: www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/tomatillos/super-verde-f1-tomatillo-seed-4593.html Too many good options to choose from!

[@rvmush3883]

Mine did fine vining on the ground here in the high dessert but may have done better staked?

[@jenmv3483]

Did you give your any fish fertilizer? How often please?

[@pamelawilson3925]

Brown porkchops or chunks of pork roast in a pan then pour all the extra salsa Verde in the pot with it and add a couple cups of water let the meat cook until tender❤ serve over rice

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh jeez I was not expecting to be hungry for porkchops so early in the morning ;) Thanks for sharing Pamela - this sounds wonderful!

[@AjArpopP52]

Thank you very informative video. I wondered if you can give me some advice. I put my plants out a little later then most and I have a Roma tomato in a 5 gallon grow bag. I put peat moss, worm castings, and bone meal in the hole. The soil I used is organic container soil from Whitney Farms. My Roma are just starting to come out & I notice they have blossom end rot. I fed them tomato/veg & fish emulsion. Is there any way to save this plant?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you for saying so! Your potting soil mix sounds great so I doubt that's the issue. If I had to guess without looking at the plants, I would look towards heat and water levels. The combination of planting out later in the season when it's (presumably) hotter and a 5 gallon container can very easily lead to underwatering. The first thing I'd do is make sure the soil is not getting too dry between waterings which is quite easy to do in a smaller grow bag (happens to me all the time!). I'd also check to ensure that your fish emulsion fertilizer isn't too high in nitrogen and too low in potassium. If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, I tried to create a very thorough guide to blossom end rot in tomatoes here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGLJqJKCjp6YnbM

[@NextdoorHomestead]

One more quick note =) Roma tomatoes are among the most susceptible varieties to Blossom End Rot (BER) and are determinate plants. I find BER easier to manage with indeterminates that have longer growing seasons as plants will generally "grow out of" their BER stage. Cheers!

[@AcornHillHomestead]

@@NextdoorHomestead wow I guess I should consider myself lucky. My Romas grow like weeds, get pretty big and never get BER. We have very loose sandy soil, no-dig lasagne method is used, upper midwest zone 4. I add plenty of blood and bone meal to the plant holes and use Dr Earth to feed them. I also save my egg shells and powder them to add to the garden soil. The only time I have ever had BER is with Early Girl in containers. It was awful and I lost almost all of them. I could never fix the problem except to never buy Early Girl again.

[@jimmccarville5152]

Great information and video I just have this enormous tomatillo surrounded buy 3 tomato plants (2 Romas and 1 beefsteak) in a raised bed and they are producing very nicely. The Tomatillo has got to be 2 to 3 times the size of the other tomato plants and they are really large as well. The tomatillo must have a couple hundred or more flowers but they still drop the flowers after a few days. I lice in San Diego about 2 miles from the coast so there isn't a heat issue. Our Temps usually are around 75 to 80° during the day in summer so I know they aren't getting to hot. I have anywhere from 20 to 30 bees constantly around all the tomatoes and the tomatillo as well but still not setting fruit. Not sure what it could be. It looks extremely healthy and produces hundreds of flowers so I'm at a loss of what to do next. Any ideas?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Jim, any other tomatillo plants nearby to aid with pollination?

[@jimmccarville5152]

@NextdoorHomestead No but I have two romas ond one beefsteak all growing in a raised bed 42" X 68" X 13". The other tomato plants are producing nicely. The tomatillo is the largest at over 5 feet tall and nearly 3 and a half feet wide. Having to cut some of the larger branches that have kind of gone off on their own.

[@amandajones8079]

Me, planting only one tomatillo plant from my four starts, growing a massive plant, getting so excited for delicious chile verde, then realizing my mistake and using the starts (still in their starter trays) to hand pollinate, getting only two fruits, and then the mowers accidentally whacking them off. Safe to say I've learned a lot my second season gardening.

[@sharonjennings1282]

Can that salsa verde!! Tomatillos are acidic and can be waterbath or steam canned. If you don’t already have equipment I would suggest a steam canner. Inexpensive and easy to use. I have this yummy salsa on my shelf and my daughter took three jars with her the last time you are here. You can also freeze them while in a ziplock freezer bag and make the salsa later in the winter when things I the garden have slowed down. Thanks for a great video

[@NextdoorHomestead]

You're so welcome! And I love the tips. I have a lot to learn about canning and preserving but luckily my wife's got lots of experience on that front. I hope to have her help me make some canning (and related) videos this year =) Best of luck in your garden this year Sharon!

[@tishaweaver4204]

Tried growing tomatillos last year with the peppers, sunny side of the house, watered heavily, got huge bush, very little fruit and EVERY fruit had a insect bore into it. Never did ID which insect. So no harvest. Thanks for setting me straight. Think I’ll try planting on north side of house where it’s generally cooler.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Argh, that sounds so frustrating! I wonder what did the damage... I hope you have better luck this year. I find myself looking forward to them like I do the pepper and eggplants and tomatoes honestly.

[@janettreadwell7958]

I am having issues getting them big enough to grow, once they break the surface they are very very spindly, they never get big enough to pot up. I am starting on my third round of seed starting them, any suggestions?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

One thing to keep in mind is they just tend to start off spindlier than other nightshades (in my experience anyways). I've seen very leggy tomatillos turn into monsters. Otherwise, try to make sure they are receiving tons of light. And if you can't up the light, make sure they aren't getting too much water or bottom heat. But my biggest piece of advice is to grow extras =). Some varieties will just have a lot of variance in each individual seedling. So if you can grow 8 for a few weeks when you only need 4, you'll be in good shape to plant out the strongest. Cheers!

[@Buick59]

Excellent informative video. In the past my Tomatillos have been....meh. This spring, it's going to be different after watching this.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

YOU'VE GOT THIS! ...I get kind of pumped up about tomatillos ;) And thanks for the kind words!

[@veraw2121]

I almost made a sixth mistake 😮. Plants are growing and producing flowers. Lots of pollinators but still no sign of husks last week. So I thought planting only 2 plants was the problem, cut some branches and started planning what to put in their spot. Today I luckily checked before cutting them down and yessss, a few husks have appeared ❤. But now I still have to find a spot for the second Telegraph cucumber 😅

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh I'm glad you didn't pull them out too early! We harvested a giant batch and made salsa verde today actually! It came out a little extra "fruity" and super delicious =) Love tomatillos!

[@EricM-gm5wz]

Reseeds really easily. We used to find patches of them in California tomato and melon fields and pick out bucket fulls of green and purple tomatillos. We would cook them, bag and freeze. My mother would sell them to acquaintances and give to our friends and extended family. Very tough and rewarding crop.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

They really do reseed easily! One of the few plants to reseed in our garden even with our aggressive crop turnarounds. I like them more every year I grow 'em =)

[@IAMGiftbearer]

Well this year I was able to germinate purple and green tomatillo plants. The purples died when I transplanted them in the ground but I am getting 6 new ones started now and they are still young, so it remains to be seen how they'll do when I put them in the ground. I planted the pineapple tomatillo seeds. I have now tried Pineapple tomatillo seeds twice. The first batch didn't even survivve long enouh to plant them in the ground, and now I'm really conerned beause this new batch planted the same time as green and purple in the exact same conditions have not germinated after more than 7 days whereas the others all have cotyledons now and are getting bigger. I'm not sure if my whole seed pack is bad or if pineapple tomatillos need some special care or are genetically less hardy. Has this happened to you?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hmmm, poor germination is not typically an issue. That does make me wonder if there's a problem with the seeds. That said, I do think they tend to be fragile plants prone to legginess and edema right up until they thicken and turn into monsters. The first 10 weeks or so are definitely the hardest. How big are they when you're transplanting out?

[@GiraffesEatStuff]

I'll be getting dill and alyssums this year for them - diatomaceous earth and support too. Earwigs!!! are just awful and kept getting in the husks, and apparently dill and alyssum may help for tachinid flies against them, diatomaceous earth too. Just need to plant them in different pots/soil. It's the only plant that had them occasionally. Still extremely good harvest and look to them. I had the queen of malinalco variety and they're great, maybe better slightly unripe/half green. The crunchy dandelion-like stems kept breaking for me by wind too, I'm not sure of a good way to shut the wind in my case, perhaps just make a small wooden wall.

[@martharodriguez2603]

I harvest my tomatillos and I put them out in the sun and forgot them for some hrs are they still good to eat? Even if they change their green color to very light green??

[@AcornHillHomestead]

I use tomato cages only for tomatillos and peppers. I plant three tomatillos. Thats more than enough for two people including roasting and canning.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh, that's a great callout! It would be pretty easy to overdo it with tomatillo plants =)

[@Liz-bn8fw]

My first two years of tomatillos were very prolific. The last two not so much. I've only had one so far this season! Interestingly the ones in my earthboxes drink several gallons of water a day and their roots hang into the water but I guess they like that since it is so hot. I've never seen that rot on the leaves but many of the leaves are very pale or have white spots which I assume are sun scald--even though they are under shade cloth since I live in the desert

[@christinehbailey]

My first year growing them! Glad I have more than 1 plant started! Lol!😅

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Let us know how it goes! Mine just germinated =)

[@hautbois2460]

We have a bad case of edema. Is there anything to worry about with the fruits?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hey Elyssa, sorry to hear that - super frustrating, right? On our plants, there are no visible issues with the fruit itself on the plants that showed leaf edema damage as seedlings. I can find no specific study on the impact on fruit, but this extension office says it's safe to eat (which makes sense as a physiological issue that resolves over the season): ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=612020 For me personally, I'd aim to replace the seedlings if they're badly stunted. Ours with leaf edema never really thrived and don't produce anywhere near as much fruit.

[@hautbois2460]

@@NextdoorHomestead thank you for your reply

[@vimondireksri8820]

90% of what I grow does well here. Harsh hot hot hot climate and terrible soil. After two years of amending my soil I'm ready to expand what I'm growing. Need to do some research on these among many others. Thanks for the helpful tips.

[@squidy2902]

Hi first time grower, was wondering if you know why my tomatillos could have possibly developed stem damage. For some reason as the base of the stem is looks it's damaged but my plant is still producing a lot of fruit. Could I email you for help? I am a first time gardener and would love some help!

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Heya! I tend to respond faster here because I get notifications =) Stem damage is very common on tomatillos in my experience because they don't "harden" up until later. If the plant is still growing and looks healthy, I would try to give it some support to aid its healing but tying it to a thin bamboo stake.

[@smb123211]

Thanks. I got fruit the first time with multiple plants. Then I planted only one and got nothing and gave up. Thanks for the info.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Argh, that sounds frustrating. At least if that was the problem, you'll know exactly how to fix it this year!

[@BeautifulDisaster205]

I was gifted some free tomatillo plants last year. They didn’t do much but I got them late. This year I had a lot of them pop up on my own, practically taking over my garden. There are lots of fruits but they are tiny, like the size of a grape to a cherry tomato. Do they just need more time? Are they supposed to be this small? I thinking about pulling them all in out because I want to plant a fall garden and I only have so much space.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hmmm, most varieties yield larger fruits than that but there is a fair bit of variation between varieties. Are they popping out of their calyx (the papery husk) at that small size? If so, unlikely future fruits on those plants will be much different. It's possible they didn't breed true from the parent plants, especially if they were a hybrid variety to begin with.

[@carilynjackson5737]

Heck,I must have been lucky I guess. We bought a tomatillo plant from the green house by mistake, thought it was a tomato. Decided to plant it in a moderately sunny spot in our garden , in the corner. Only had one! We could not believe the tomatillos we got. Could not keep up. Shared the harvest with all our neighbors. No neighbors planted them last yr. So where did the pollination come from? we don’t know. Planting 2 this summer. So, are all my neighbors Lol. I live in S. Mn.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh, fascinating! Were they green tomatillos or purple? Thank you for sharing =)

[@marysecharbonneau1580]

same story for me this year and so far the plant if full of husk so I expect many fruits from this lonely plant. I don't know why it worked, I thought maybe some neighbors have groundcherries? it looks like same family. ground cherries are more common in quebec than tomatillos. my dad didn't even know what it was

[@davidniemi6553]

I often experiment with leaving tomato and pepper plants out in the garden as cold weather arrives. I did that with tomatillos this year and they seemed to stay healthy well below freezing, better than tomatoes or peppers (but I also had some cape gooseberries in the mix so I may have lost track).

[@essentialcomforts2166]

I love growing tomatillos but last year they got overrun with the 3 lined potato beetle. (those nasty things that have poop on their backs and look like a pile of tiny slugs on your plants, lol). They crawl inside the fruit so you can only tell by cutting them in half. I would love to know a natural way to prevent them!

[@justbeachy2031]

I have never heard of this and was super excited to grow tomatillo’s because I read there were not many pest problems. I love blackberries, and always get so many with little effort, but last year, after I discovered wasp larvae inside, I couldn’t eat them. I’ve been mixing neem seed in my compost like crazy. I’ve already put netting on my blueberries, but I’m having trouble getting past this.

[@xaviercruz4763]

Nice beard dude! How long from clean shaven to that length and would you consider letting it grow to the belly button? (Useful for storing some dozen+ seed packets, depending on weight, as not to created discomfort in the trouser pockets)

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Bahaha this is the wildest comment on my channel and I'm here for it. I honestly have no idea - I grew that out during the pandemic and don't remember how long it took! I like that you carefully considered the practical limitations of seed-in-beard storage.

[@xaviercruz4763]

@@NextdoorHomestead yes, thanks! Seriously very nice! On the benefits: yes, it would with that volume help carry those packets to the greenhouse to be seeded hands free and pocket free! Without the need of a kart while using a phone, very nice. You are a very smart dude man and would like to see on a video what’s the realistic increase in vertical vs horizontal gardening (tomatoes, basil etc) since done if being done in natural lighting only, what sometimes is gained in height is lost in sunlight because of the shading produced, and maybe some experimental yields on tomatoes sprawling but mulched to avoid dirt on fruit and fruit rotting vs the same Tom Tom variety vertically. I will conduct mine as well, would be interesting to see your results and opinions! Cheers much life and peace and guidance from God ! Xavier from Dominican republic

[@hopeup2792]

so bummed only one of my seed starter tomatillo plant made it and it is looking beautiful in my garden but it is a loner… so i guess i might not get a harvest. :(

[@LuceleGuzman]

So what other type of plant do I plant next to the tomatillos?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Just need tomatillos next to each other 😁

[@laurafrey5244]

I cleared a bunch of dead trees and Buckthorn from my from my property this spring, and since I didn't have anywhere else for my tomatillos, I planted them in the newly cleared area. I planted my three best seedlings Ina cluster, and immediately added tomato cages. Last night I wandered through this clearing, and found four more tomatillo plants about 10 feet from the seedlings I planted! These are slightly smaller than the originals, but look strong and healthy. Does anyone know how these volunteer tomatillos may have come to be?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hello there! If this is a newly cleared area that didn't have tomatillos before, I would just personally be very careful that the new plants you found are actually edible tomatillos. Plants in the nightshade family can be extremely toxic. Apologies if that's old news to you - just want everyone to be safe out there! Otherwise, best of luck with your plants =)

[@gardeningwithkirk]

❤ beautiful video

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Why thank you kindly!

[@ginninadances]

Good talk :)

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@newjerseykayakadventures3036]

This will be my first year growing them, in purple. Can I just eat them with a bit of salt as I would of my jersey tomatoes?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I don't think it's very common to eat them raw unfortunately. They're quite tart. They do make wonderful sauces and salsas when cooked though!

[@newjerseykayakadventures3036]

@@NextdoorHomestead I'll start looking up some recipes. ✌️

[@NextdoorHomestead]

@@newjerseykayakadventures3036 This is my personal favorite way to prepare them: www.seriouseats.com/charred-salsa-verde-tomatillo-salsa

[@ArchaicAnglist]

​@@NextdoorHomesteadRaw tomatillos, thinly sliced, are very nice with carnitas, or in a salad with other ingredients that are less tart.

[@hoosierpioneer]

Never knew Toma Verde is semi determinate. This makes a difference how I will judge my plants' progress. Anybody know a souce that sells more than one or two varieties? Also ground cherry varieties.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

So your comment piqued my curiosity and... none of my favorite seed companies seem to sell more than one or two varieties. Migardener has three at least and it's a good mix (and I like their seeds). FWIW, this year we're trying the gigante variety to hopefully make harvesting a little more efficient. I was absolutely overwhelmed with tomatillos last year and just couldn't keep up. Terrible problem to have, I know ;) I'm thinking fewer, bigger fruits will be easier though =)

[@hoosierpioneer]

@@NextdoorHomestead maybe I need to message my favorite companies and ask them for more varieties and to identify the variety, for those who only say tomatillo. Everyone with me?

[@lainedelfelder4283]

Do you know if a purple tomatillo and a verde tomatillo can pollinate each other?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

I have never personally tried it, but in theory it should work just fine and I've spoken to another gardener who grows multiple varieties without issue. Cheers!

[@rogerbeaird3320]

Hi guys i grow mine in wire cages they are planted in irganic yard mulch in a tire size planter about 20 plants they grew fast i fed them kelp and bat guano

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you for sharing! That sounds like a cool set up with lots of plants. Hope you're getting an awesome harvest =)

[@catherinejenkins9381]

very informative thank you but you don't need the background music, it's was a distraction

[@NextdoorHomestead]

So glad it was helpful Catherine! And thank you for the feedback! Hope your tomatillos rock this year!

[@lew381]

These work amazing in indian curry because a less ripe tomato is required which tomatillo replicates. Plus I make a tommatillo, green chilli and fresh coriander chutney that you can use as a glaze for bbq. They are amazing. They also are a natural steriod.

[@jul.escobar]

I'm using a tomato cage it works really well.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh, good to hear! I'm still on the fence about trellis options for tomatillos this year but might just do the cages =) Cheers!

[@konk93]

You should share your salsa verde recipe. :)

[@NextdoorHomestead]

As with all my favorites, it's from Kenji Lopez Alt. www.seriouseats.com/charred-salsa-verde-tomatillo-salsa Even thinking about it makes me hungry. So glad my tomatillos seedlings are coming in nicely! Anyhow, thanks for watching!

[@kurtmanshardt9825]

Good morning I just subscribed to your Channel and really enjoyed watching the first video I guess you have about 20 something or another I hope you keep it up cuz you explain it well and I enjoy watching it and I've already learned something on my first video

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Thank you so much Kurt. Comments like yours give me a lot of motivation to make more videos and hopefully help some folks grow food.

[@kurtmanshardt9825]

@@NextdoorHomestead have you ever grown Carolina Reapers and /or chocolate ghost peppers and if you have what is your experience with them ?

[@NextdoorHomestead]

You know, I haven't grown the super hot pepper varieties. We primarily garden for food and unfortunately much of the family isn't into super spicy stuff.

[@cosmicrdt]

I have 5 tomatillo plants in the middle of summer here in Australia and they are super healthy with dozens of flowers and green leaves but I'm not getting any fruit. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. They're next to tomatoes that are giving dozens of fruit.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

How frustrating! Were all of those 5 tomatillo plants grown from different seeds? Or when some of them cloned/propagated? Also, are the flowers developing into calyxes (the paper lanterns)?

[@jeannewilliams956]

can you still use the tomatillos if they are over ripe?

[@ArchaicAnglist]

You can, but they'll be on the sweet side, more like ground cherry (to which they're related). In my view, a proper tomatllo is definitely green, with flesh like a dense little watermelon, and distinctively tart. I like to cut raw green tomatillos into thin wedges to garnish carnitas burritos.

[@jeannewilliams956]

@@ArchaicAnglist You are right, mine are sweet. Is there a variety you can suggest, I want a tart tomatillo .

[@ArchaicAnglist]

@@jeannewilliams956 Toma Verde is the green variety sold by most seed houses. The Toma Verde I grew last year was most likely from Botanical Interests seed, but I think Toma Verde isn't going to differ much from seed house to seed house. For your overripe tomatillos, you might try using them in red sauces, as a small part of a large-ish tomato component.

[@jeannewilliams956]

@@ArchaicAnglist thank you so much!

[@Localthrowsonly]

I planted a solo tomatillo plant which didn’t need pollination from any other tomatillo plant it produced large fruits often

[@TheWhittierLocal562]

Salsa Verde 🙌🏼

[@NextdoorHomestead]

🙌🏼

[@herbanexplorer]

So frustrating. I grew 2 tomatillo plants and had them side by side in a full sun area. They grew tall and flowered like crazy, but hardly ANY fruit! And the couple fruit that did grow were extremely small. I want to try again, but need to find out what I did wrong.

[@carilynjackson5737]

These were green, and they were just a bit smaller than tennis balls, and I had to bunjy cord them to the privacy fence that they grew over. The fence is 8 feet tall. Boy o boy. Now my neighbors are expecting the same results. The guy behind my alley planted 6. Oh my.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Hahaha, wow! That is killer and hard to live up to for another year running ;)

[@vimondireksri8820]

Never grown them! Hopefully next season.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh, definitely try it! Well, if you like salsa verde anyways =) They've become a staple for us.

[@KatherineRoseArt]

bah :P i planted seeds and only one came up so i only have 1 plant. lol guess i wont get much out of it. i actually didnt even think it was gonna come up and planted squash there and then the thing finally sprang up eons later

[@smeegy1]

Easier to grow than tomato? Bro, I have to fight tooth and nail to stop my tomatoes from just taking over the whole garden.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

That is awesome. Love me a tomato forest. But I think it's fair to say that's not a universal experience 😁

[@suzp8627]

I need your assistance please LOL

[@Feline1986]

I planted a physalis and a single tomatillo. Do they cross-polimate? I got a giant tomatillo haverst....

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Heya! Do you know what specific species of physalis? Tomatillo plants (Physalis philadelphica) are actually a member of the the Physalis Genus themselves =) If referring to a ground cherry, I'm afraid I can't say. I've found reports that say both yes they can and no they can not cross pollinate.

[@Feline1986]

@@NextdoorHomestead hi, yeah I know 😄 it is a Physalis pruinosa.

[@snaggletooth14]

I used the big sized tomato cages for my tomatillo plants and they got so big and heavy with fruit, that the wind bent them right over….cage and all.

[@biddibee3526]

I’ve been looking for tomatillo seeds for a year. I can not find any

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Argh, that's frustrating! Is purchasing from one of the big online retailers not a viable option for you?

[@smalltiny]

trying to grow tomatillos in france is so hard :(((

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh no! Weather not right for it or something else?

[@smalltiny]

@@NextdoorHomesteadi think so, i live in the south and you'd think there is a lot of sun but it's very rainy here and i think they hate that much water :(

[@Wasouglian]

Tomatillos are excellent roasted with other vegetables like carrots potatoes and onions.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

mmmmm I can't wait to get cooking with fresh tomatillos again!

[@eimante.a]

Which zone are you growing in? ☺️🙏🏻

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Zone 9! Bit more detail on our about page too =) Happy gardening!

[@EmpressKadesh]

I've grown them for a few years and never get to the point of making salsa verde because I eat them like candy.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Now that's a sign of a legit gardener if I've ever heard one! Our are just forming up some fruit right now - super excited!

[@aproverbs31woman59]

I have three beautiful plants that have only produced one fruit. I’m bunching them together now. I’m so disappointed.

[@carilynjackson5737]

They were green, and just a bit smaller than tennis balls.

[@801mom]

Do you have a favorite Salsa Verde Recipe???

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Oh. Oh, yes =) www.seriouseats.com/charred-salsa-verde-tomatillo-salsa It's more effort so we don't always make it like this, but I love it.

[@801mom]

Thanks!!

[@nunyabiznes33]

They can be propaganda by cuttings right? I'm going to plant Cape gooseberry and I read they are from the same genus and I don't want them crossbreeding.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yep! I grow mine from seeds but most folks seem to have good luck getting their tomatillo cuttings to root too =)

[@nunyabiznes33]

@@NextdoorHomestead thanks! I ordered Cape gooseberry seeds but when I do grow tomatillos, I'd try to just clone both. Maybe tomatillos on 2024 coz I only have till June to grow anything that fruit. 😖

[@NextdoorHomestead]

@@nunyabiznes33 Heya! One note in case you missed it in the video is you won't get good pollination on your tomatillos if they're all clones. It's best to have at least three plants with distinct genetics (grown from different seeds).

[@bettyshobbys1575]

Leider reden Sie viel zu schnell 😢. Die Übersetzung kommt nicht hinterher , es ist wie ein Schnelldurchlauf .

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Apologies! I have tried to slow down a bit in more recent videos. Best of luck with your garden though!

[@bettyshobbys1575]

Dankeschön, du bist ein sehr sympathischer Mann .

[@marcuspowell2510]

Guess I’m gonna be give tomatillos a shot next year.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

Yes! I'm considering this video a success then 😁 Follow-up with how they do - we're still picking a ton every week...

[@angelika77st]

I'm growing plants but I have not seen a single tomatillo.

[@NextdoorHomestead]

How frustrating! Do you multiple tomatillo plants grown from different seeds near to each other? Are they at least flowering?

[@angelika77st]

@@NextdoorHomestead no. I think I learned from what you said. The seeds were from the same tomatillo. Thanks for replying I was not expecting that. I do have like 5 plants. Very close to each other. They do have flowers. It has been several months now

[@romualdoferrari1870]

Le scritte scorrono troppo veloci ,non si riesce a leggerle in modo completo !!!

[@farrahlyn]

I hate they keep coming back

[@loryros8266]

Non capisco una parola☹️ Traduzione in italiano per cortesia grazie 🙏