How to Grow Tomatillos From Seed

Start husk-fruit seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. These are warm-season plants with zero frost tolerance, so wait to move seedlings outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. In most regions that means late spring; in cooler areas hold off a week or two longer rather than risk a cold check that stalls the plants.

Sow seeds about a quarter inch deep in warm, moist starting mix and keep them at 70 to 80 F for the fastest germination. Once seedlings have their first true leaves and frost has passed, harden them off and transplant deep, burying part of the stem the way you would a tomato to encourage strong roots. Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart in full sun. Set a stake or cage for tomatillos at planting time, since they sprawl 3 to 5 feet and are far easier to support before they get big.

Give husk fruits full sun, steady moisture, and room to grow. Water deeply and evenly, about an inch a week, and mulch to hold moisture and keep fruit clean. Feed lightly; too much nitrogen gives you leaves instead of fruit. Keep tomatillos tied up as they stretch, and let cape gooseberry bush out. Both are heavy setters once warm weather arrives, so keep picking to keep them producing.

Because tomatillos depend on cross-pollination, anything that brings more bees to the bed helps your harvest. These flowering companions earn their place next to your husk fruits:

Pick tomatillos when the fruit fills the papery husk and the husk just begins to split, while the fruit is still firm, that is peak flavor for salsa verde. Cape gooseberries ripen on their own schedule: the husk turns tan and the sweet golden berry drops to the ground, so simply gather the fallen fruit every day or two. Both crops keep bearing right up until the first frost.

Tart green tomatillos are the backbone of salsa verde and green enchilada sauce, and they roast, grill, or simmer into bright, tangy dishes. Sweet-tart cape gooseberries are a treat eaten fresh out of the husk, tossed into salads, or cooked down into golden jam and preserves. Between the two, one husk-fruit bed gives you both a savory salsa staple and a sweet garden snack.

• No fruit set: almost always caused by growing a single plant. Plant two or more so flowers can cross-pollinate.
• Lots of leaves, few flowers: too much nitrogen or too little sun. Ease off feeding and give full sun.
• Plants flopping over: tomatillos sprawl 3 to 5 feet. Stake or cage them early before they get heavy.
• Fruit staying small in the husk: usually needs more warmth and steady water. Mulch and water deeply and evenly.
• Dropped cape gooseberries getting missed: that dropping is normal ripeness. Check the ground under plants every day or two and gather the fallen golden fruit.