Plant tomatillos deep?
 

Should they be planted deep like tomatoes?

Mine aren't leggy or weak-stemmed or anything, so it wouldn't be to correct a problem. But even with good, robust tomato plants, I'd plant them deep.

Do tomatillos benefit from the same?

Mine are leggy so i always plant them deep. They don't necessarily grow root hairs like
a tomato but will root from leaf nodes like peppers. (i think)

I plant mine in the middle of my trellised tomatoes but let them go wild. They grow
frilly and a bit unruly and ripen late in September in my climate. Most tomatoes are
slowing down when my tomatillos fill out. In a Southern climate i would give them lots
of room somewhere else. If a stem hits the ground they will root another plant.
Layering. Mine usually find the trellis and go up and high, then fill out. 3 or four plants
give me plenty for a winters worth of smoked tomatillo salsa.

Thanks, Oakley. That's all helpful information.

I'm pretty sure mine rooted from the stem when I grew them a few years ago, and yes, I did plant leggy ones deep like tomatoes. Good luck with them!

Are tomatillos something I should be planting? Smoked salsa...not sure if we'd like that, plus no smoker here. I do make canned salsa and chili sauce based on Annie's with lime recipe. What else are they used for? Are they worth trading tomato space?

[QUOTE=JRinPA;645251]Are tomatillos something I should be planting? Smoked salsa...not sure if we'd like that, plus no smoker here. I do make canned salsa and chili sauce based on Annie's with lime recipe. What else are they used for? Are they worth trading tomato space?[/QUOTE]

I think it depends on how much you like tomatillos.

To find out, get some good recipes and try them out on some tomatillos you buy at the market. Only then can you decide whether to sacrifice tomato space.

As for "smoked", I've never smoked things for salsa. I "fire roast" quite a bit and really enjoy that flavor. If I don't feel like going through the hassle of setting up the grill, I char them on the gas stovetop.

[QUOTE=JRinPA;645251]Are tomatillos something I should be planting? Smoked salsa...not sure if we'd like that, plus no smoker here. I do make canned salsa and chili sauce based on Annie's with lime recipe. What else are they used for? Are they worth trading tomato space?[/QUOTE]

The tomatillos in the store are for the most part not ripe.
Where I live they aren't worth growing did it once and was a big waste of space.
I dont like salsa verde unless it is green from peppers not tomatillos.
In all honesty I cant stand the darn things or the slimy, runny, tangy, salsa made with them.:lol:

I had good luck with a purple strain here in SE PA, although didn't find the taste appealing. They had an amazing shelf life and kept well into December at room temperature. Very pretty fruit too!

I don't make SalsaVerde that often. If it is ever slimy it has something else in it and
probably from a can or jar. Thickeners and preservatives are often gooey. Emulsifiers that
make bottled salad dressing thick. And canned soups and shampoo, etc.

Tomatillos are more like cranberries, rhubarb, lots of fruits that have a natural sauce
when heated. I think more juicy than slimy like okra, aloe, some cactus. Okra slime is
as slippery as glycerine.

If you like a TexMex style thick salsa that has tomato paste and catchup-y, like Pace,
or Annie's recipe, you probably will not like tomatillos. If you like salsa zesty with lots
of fresh lime and cilantro, you might like it 50/50 with roasted tomatillos till soft, then
add fresh tomatoes.

I made a batch last weekend. Stopped at the international market and picked up 5-6
different hot and sweet peppers, onions, garlic, a few lbs of tomatillos, cut toms in half,
everything into big chunks, 2 whole heads of garlic....all on a thick parchment lined
foil packet and slow roasted on the far end of the grill off the heat. Just a kiss of smoke
flavor, like fire roasted. Into the cuisinart. Lots of lime and cilantro, (with the stems)
6 half pints in the freezer. I use it to make rhubarb BBQ sauce, homemade ketchup, add
to bean salads, pasta salads, chili, breakfast eggs, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, etc.

Harvest season i add fresh tomatoes. Winter i use frozen cherry tomatoes...still have
a big gallon bag from last year.

Read up a bit on [URL="https://www.google.com/search?q=tomatillos+de+milpa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8"][I]tomatillos de milpa[/I][/URL]. They present an acidity, a maybe plum-like fruitiness, plus a bold note I've not yet been able to characterize.

Plus or minus, they are the flea beetles' favourite in my yard.

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/30mamtg.jpg[/IMG]

Maybe not a bad idea for to try a plant or two. I think I have some seed from a swap. Is it too late for this year in SE PA?

Probably ok with some warm weather coming up next week. They love the heat.
I even get self sowing every year. Always have to pull out few.

I used to start the seed with my tomato starts but they always out-grow them and get
very leggy, un-ruly. So i start them later. 4-5 weeks out. My starts this year are tiny but
they should catch up. They get leggy like pea shoots for me and get tangled up.

If we get a late early frost, like mid-late Sept, you should get fruit.

Mid Oct is usually first frost here. Yeah I guess I'll try to find those seeds and start some, see what they are like. Thanks all.

[QUOTE=oakley;645537]I don't make SalsaVerde that often. If it is ever slimy it has something else in it and
probably from a can or jar. Thickeners and preservatives are often gooey. Emulsifiers that
make bottled salad dressing thick. And canned soups and shampoo, etc.

Tomatillos are more like cranberries, rhubarb, lots of fruits that have a natural sauce
when heated. I think more juicy than slimy like okra, aloe, some cactus. Okra slime is
as slippery as glycerine.

If you like a TexMex style thick salsa that has tomato paste and catchup-y, like Pace,
or Annie's recipe, you probably will not like tomatillos. If you like salsa zesty with lots
of fresh lime and cilantro, you might like it 50/50 with roasted tomatillos till soft, then
add fresh tomatoes.

I made a batch last weekend. Stopped at the international market and picked up 5-6
different hot and sweet peppers, onions, garlic, a few lbs of tomatillos, cut toms in half,
everything into big chunks, 2 whole heads of garlic....all on a thick parchment lined
foil packet and slow roasted on the far end of the grill off the heat. Just a kiss of smoke
flavor, like fire roasted. Into the cuisinart. Lots of lime and cilantro, (with the stems)
6 half pints in the freezer. I use it to make rhubarb BBQ sauce, homemade ketchup, add
to bean salads, pasta salads, chili, breakfast eggs, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, etc.

Harvest season i add fresh tomatoes. Winter i use frozen cherry tomatoes...still have
a big gallon bag from last year.[/QUOTE]

No I just dont like flavorless tangy salsa verde with no heat.
As far as salsas go I cant stand Pace or anything like it.
My idea of a tomato in salsa is to pass on over it and set it back down.
Ripe tomatillos are good with hot peppers.

I found the seed and threw it in a pot to start. Tomatillo Purple from a swap. If they come up I'll put them in somewhere.

Few things beat the smell of tomatillos roasting over flames. They are space hogs, if you have a corner they can take over let 'em run.

Some dishes are better with tomatillo based salsas, chilaquiles for example, some types of tamales, flautas, etc.

[I]Lengua en salsa verde[/I] is a dish you can use to win over even to most recalcitrant in-laws.

I really like tomatillos, although I buy mine.

Just a quick note to clarify. Tomatillos are ripe when they fill their papery husk.
Like the pic of the purple ones above. Firm
when ripe. If soft like a tomato, they are close to rotting. Soft is not good....over-ripe.
Bitter when fresh, but diced and given some heat in a pan they soften.

So many ways to love them. I would be disappointed if i did not get at least a 5 gal
bucket full in September. I can always buy them if i have a failure season. Inexpensive
and always available. (in NY because of such a diverse population)

Good tomatoes on the other hand, cannot be bought year round in any grocery. Nada.
If you have limited garden space and only room for 6 tomato plants...not sure if i would
give up a spot for a tomatillo plant. Especially if you've never tried them.

I grow over a hundred tomato plants and have lots of room.

I'm growing a little purple variety this year, Tiny from Coban from Baker Creek. I'm prepared for the plants to get about the size of my ground cherry plants from last year (which were big and spread a lot but were not as tall as an indeterminate tomato plant). If they're larger than that, then things are going to be crowded!

I love tomatillos but chose a type I'd never tasted before. The more common green types are available to buy, but the purple ones are still hard to come by.

I threw all 5 of the purple tomatillo seeds (swap seeds) into a pot and kept it watered...only one caught. I did the same with big beef seeds at the same time and only 3/10 sprouted. So, I guess that was not a great way to start seeds, even in nice June warmth.

No problem, I just want to see what they are, I figured, and put that tomatillo in the ground a couple weeks back. It took right off.

Now, I just read that two tomatillo plants are needed for pollination... Question, is that true here in the US or is that only for Mexico?

If true this info should be added to that Basic info sticky.

[QUOTE=JRinPA;656266]Now, I just read that two tomatillo plants are needed for pollination... Question, is that true here in the US or is that only for Mexico?[/QUOTE]

Geography doesn't change basic genetic traits. Tomatillos are not self-fertile and require at least two plants as well as insect pollinators (not a problem--bumblebees and sweat bees LOVE tomatillo flowers). Perhaps there have been varieties bred more recently that don't require that? But if so, I'm unaware of them.

I like tomatilloes when they are about to fall off the plant or the husk is brown and no they are not rotten.
I have made some of the best salsa from them this way with hot peppers added.

[QUOTE=JRinPA;656266]I threw all 5 of the purple tomatillo seeds (swap seeds) into a pot and kept it watered...only one caught. I did the same with big beef seeds at the same time and only 3/10 sprouted. So, I guess that was not a great way to start seeds, even in nice June warmth.

No problem, I just want to see what they are, I figured, and put that tomatillo in the ground a couple weeks back. It took right off.

Now, I just read that two tomatillo plants are needed for pollination... Question, is that true here in the US or is that only for Mexico?

If true this info should be added to that Basic info sticky.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=22347[/url]

Made a Chimmichurra (sp?) sauce last night from a couple last night and it was AWESOME!!! First time and I was surprised with that little bit of tangy-ness. The little bit of slime didn't bother me one bit.

Greg

I knew I should have put an emoticon after that quip.

Even if multiple seeds had come up I was only planning to put one in the ground since everyone says they run wild. Seems my tomatillo impulse was doomed from the start.

It seems a lot of people have this issue the first time. There was a fellow a few years back that posted his address on a forum, desperately trying to get someone to send him some pollen so he could fertilize his lonely plant.

[QUOTE=JRinPA;656420]There was a fellow a few years back that posted his address on a forum, desperately trying to get someone to send him some pollen so he could fertilize his lonely plant.[/QUOTE]

:))

You never know--you may have someone nearby growing a plant somewhere and get some surprise fruit.