tomatillos

[annastasia76]

I am thinking ahead of time here.

last year I grew a very successful crop of tomatillos but I didn't like that the branches (and tomatillos) were touching the ground. Any attempt on my part to lift the branches and tie them like you would a tomato would break the branch. Does anybody know of a way to lift them off the ground without breaking them??

I found a packet of purple tomatillo seeds in the store today and can't wait for time to plant them, I have never seen purple tomatillos before.

[jal_ut]

I suggest putting newspaper on the ground around them, then mulch. Yes, they will still droop, and when ripe, fall off the vine, but they won't be on the soil.

[soil]

we use the random metal fencing that we got for free at a yard sale. its about 4 ft tall, has 6 inch square mesh and ours is about 8 ft long. two posts in the end, thats it. our tomatillos overgrew the whole thing and gave us about 30 lbs of tomatillos.

[Farmer Bob]

Hi,

I grow Cape Gooseberries, which is also a tomatillo.

I tie the branches to bamboo stakes I place in the ground around the plant and tie the branches as they develop. This prevents the heavy fruit laden branches from touching the ground.

Give it a try.

[starwood]

Speaking of tomatillos, give pinapple tomatillos a try. They taste like a fruit and are great for munching straight out of the garden.

[sixshooter]

I'm really excited to plant these for the first time this year so I can make green salsa. What are some more uses for tomatillos? Can they be canned and made into chilli?

[Farmer Bob]

Hi Six Shooter,

One can do so much with tomatillos. You can make jams, preserves( whole),
use them stewed for flan fillings and serve with cream, tarts etc. Yummy.!

Enjoy!

Farmer Bob

[sixshooter]

Hi Six Shooter,

One can do so much with tomatillos. You can make jams, preserves( whole),
use them stewed for flan fillings and serve with cream, tarts etc. Yummy.!

Enjoy!

Farmer Bob

Oh wow...so they're real sweet? Like a fruit? I'm sure there's a ton of varieties but I was thinking more along the lines of salty foods. Salsa and chilli namely

[sprout]

I read somewhere that tomatillos will either grow low and viney like a tomato or tall and upright like a pepper. I have found this to be true and never know what I will get out of my seedlings.

[garden5]

Well, another thing you could try to keep them up off of the ground is to hammer four posts in the ground, two on one side of the patch and two on another. Run wire from one to another and then plant the tomitillos in between. The wires will act as supports.

They plants may droop over the wires, but if you have the wires at the right height, at least they won't touch the ground.