First Time Tomatillo Grower

[Taiji]

I bought some tomatillos from Sprouts a while back to make some green salsa. Never realized til just recently that they were the base of green salsa. (I don't get out much)

Anyway, tried a few seeds from the fruits I bought. To my surprise they all sprouted beautifully and are growing well. I set a couple out and they seem healthy.

For anyone who has grown tomatillos, do they make a big tall vine like tomatoes? Do they need staking? Any other hints? (I love how each one comes individually wrapped in paper)

[wisconsindead]

I tried growing them with little success last year. It was only one plant and it grew somewhat like a tomato. I'm not sure the best way to support it. It grew along the ground. For whatever reason, I had a difficult time with pollination on that plant.

[imafan26]

They are a vining plant like tomato. I let mine sprawl on the ground so I never staked them.

[pepperhead212]

I always grow mine on a trellis. And this season I debunked a myth that you need two plants to pollinate, as I only had one seedling of three survive, and it is loaded with husks, with small tomatillos in them - the way they always start out. So it had to self-pollinate. Eventually I found some volunteers - I get so many that I used to use just the volunteers, and not even start them from seeds! But eventually, the tomatillos got smaller and smaller each year, so last season I got some seeds. I'll see how the volunteers do this year.

[Taiji]

That's good to know about them not needing another plant for pollination. Each of my gardens has only one plant! After I planted them out I began to wonder if I needed 2 plants.

[erins327]

I always had success growing tomatillos. My problem was with my limited garden space, I had to grow many to actually make salsa with.

I don't ever remember growing mine on a trellis or staking them. Mine grew like a very bushy stable tomato.