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Old November 28, 2007   #5
Tomaddict
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SW Michigan
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Carolyn wrote: "Tomatillos are self infertile so you need to grow at least two plants to get berries, for that's what the fruits are. Note in the article that pollination from another Physalis sp can occur within a certain distance, but best to plant your at least two plants next to each other."

I've grown tomatillos a few times, and as gardenhappy notes, they like to volunteer (and I doubt it's a Michigan thing!). A couple of times I've left one volunteer to flower and fruit, and it did so happily and abundantly, with no other tomatillo plant in the garden or the neighborhood, to my knowledge.

So I can't rule out the possibility that some other species of plant nearby is getting involved (maybe a ground cherry, they are also Physalis spp.), but the volunteer seed comes true each year (with Purple tomatillo, the color is rather distinct), so to me it seems to be a solo act. I'm not convinced that more than one plant is necessary, even though the source you cited says that it does take more than one plant.

BTW, Suzanne Ashworth's Seed to Seed states that flowers of Physalis spp. are perfect (a botanical term in this context) and self-pollinating. This seems to contradict the cited source.

Personally, I find that one plant produces an overwhelming amount of fruit for the home gardener who might want a few for a batch or two of salsa. Don't know why I'd ever want two of them!
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