Do these tomatillos look right?

GoDawgs · May 20, 2018

After reading this tomatillo forum I decided to give them a try as I'd love to put up some salsa verde. I bought 'Everona Large Green'. Looking at my seed catalog notes for the "why buy", I had a note that said this variety was large and pest/drought tolerant so that's why it got picked.

I grew three and during an early spate of rain right when they should have been planted, they got leggy. I missed the post about it being OK to plant them deep like tomatoes so they only got planted slightly deep with about 10" above ground. They're 4' apart.

Now they've grown a bunch and are pretty upright, so much so that I've very loosely tied them to a stake to keep them from falling over. There's not a lot of side branching. Does that come later? Overall, they're growing like crazy with a few blooms here and there.

Do these look right? About how tall will they get?

HudsonValley · May 20, 2018

They look great! I haven't grown that specific variety, but the larger ones I've had grew to 6-7' tall. I'd recommend putting in taller stakes, or even tall cages, while they're still a manageable size. They branch out at the top first, and they aren't flexible like tomatoes...

Worth1 · May 20, 2018

Look good to me just for another opinion for you.
Be prepared for them to explode and take over the place.
The sticks aren't gonna get it.

Worth

oakley · May 20, 2018

Looks great. Just what I want.

But like Worth said, get ready. They will go nuts up and all around. You have lots of room.

I have mine at the far, far, end of one of my tomato beds. I let them go up, then wild. Late harvest Sept-oct for me.
I smoke them with onions, peppers, garlic, then freeze packets for all winter salsas...

GoDawgs · May 21, 2018

I do have some 8' poles I could bang in. Well, 6' or so by the time I bang 'em in through loose soil to get down to where they'll hold upright. I can put double tomato cages over them and stake the cages so they don't fall over in wind.

Stakes or cages? From y'all's comments I have a feeling that either way, these guys are gonna get "interesting".

That's the fun of trying something new!

beasl004 · May 21, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

I do have some 8' poles I could bang in. Well, 6' or so by the time I bang 'em in through loose soil to get down to where they'll hold upright. I can put double tomato cages over them and stake the cages so they don't fall over in wind.

Stakes or cages? From y'all's comments I have a feeling that either way, these guys are gonna get "interesting".

That's the fun of trying something new!

I tried tomatillos for the first time last year. I had 4 plants and tried to use stakes.

Lets just say I'm switching to cages this year.

jmsieglaff · May 21, 2018

I cage and stake tomatillos. Those things are great and are essentially weeds. Fruits keep well in a brown paper bag in the fridge for a few weeks if want to hold harvests and do bulk processing.

GoDawgs · May 21, 2018

Thanks for the input! I think I'll put double decker cages on them and tie the cages to tall stakes pounded in on each side of each cage. Maybe that'll hold those critters!

FarmerShawn · May 22, 2018

I use stakes and twine to build a pen, 30 inches square for one, or that wide and down the row for a bunch. The branches like to be horizontal, and grow long, so one of those large, cone shaped tomato cages just doesn’t work. I just tie the twine at one stake about eight inches to a foot high, string to the next stake and spin the twine around it, and keep going until I’ve gone around the space, then twirl up the first stake a foot or so, and repeat to the top of the posts. Quick, easy, and cheap, and plenty of support for tomatillos. Actually I do a similar thing for determinate and dwarf tomatoes, but more like twenty inches wide or less.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GoDawgs · May 22, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerShawn

I use stakes and twine to build a pen, 30 inches square for one, or that wide and down the row for a bunch.

Thanks for another good idea. It's how I've been penning up my green peas. My tomato cages are each made from 10' of field fence, which makes them about 2' in diameter. Since I have three plants, I've a good mind to experiment with the cage on one, your pen system on another and maybe one other method. They'd be too much in the way if I let them sprawl.

jmsieglaff · May 22, 2018

And let me share a tip I learned here on TVille, when it comes time to peel them, put them in a bucket with water, it makes peeling much easier and much much faster!

GoDawgs · May 23, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

And let me share a tip I learned here on TVille, when it comes time to peel them, put them in a bucket with water, it makes peeling much easier and much much faster!

Are you meaning peeling them under water or soaking them to loosen the peel? If soaking, how long?

jmsieglaff · May 23, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Are you meaning peeling them under water or soaking them to loosen the peel? If soaking, how long?

Just soaking before peeling—doesn’t take long, say 10 mins. Shaving time off when you’ve got many pounds to peel is helpful.

GoDawgs · May 23, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

Just soaking before peeling—doesn’t take long, say 10 mins. Shaving time off when you’ve got many pounds to peel is helpful.

Thanks for that helpful tip!

Today in between rain showers I got the supports up for the tomatillos and am experimenting with three kinds; a single pole, a double decker cage and a twine "pen".

It should get interesting. I love playing with new things!

FarmerShawn · May 23, 2018

I look forward to a report on which method wins!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

May 20, 2018	#1
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Do these tomatillos look right? After reading this tomatillo forum I decided to give them a try as I'd love to put up some salsa verde. I bought 'Everona Large Green'. Looking at my seed catalog notes for the "why buy", I had a note that said this variety was large and pest/drought tolerant so that's why it got picked. I grew three and during an early spate of rain right when they should have been planted, they got leggy. I missed the post about it being OK to plant them deep like tomatoes so they only got planted slightly deep with about 10" above ground. They're 4' apart. Now they've grown a bunch and are pretty upright, so much so that I've very loosely tied them to a stake to keep them from falling over. There's not a lot of side branching. Does that come later? Overall, they're growing like crazy with a few blooms here and there. Do these look right? About how tall will they get?

May 22, 2018	#9
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Do these tomatillos look right? I use stakes and twine to build a pen, 30 inches square for one, or that wide and down the row for a bunch. The branches like to be horizontal, and grow long, so one of those large, cone shaped tomato cages just doesn’t work. I just tie the twine at one stake about eight inches to a foot high, string to the next stake and spin the twine around it, and keep going until I’ve gone around the space, then twirl up the first stake a foot or so, and repeat to the top of the posts. Quick, easy, and cheap, and plenty of support for tomatillos. Actually I do a similar thing for determinate and dwarf tomatoes, but more like twenty inches wide or less. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

May 23, 2018	#15
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	I look forward to a report on which method wins! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

May 20, 2018	#2
HudsonValley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hudson Valley, NY, Zone 6a Posts: 626	They look great! I haven't grown that specific variety, but the larger ones I've had grew to 6-7' tall. I'd recommend putting in taller stakes, or even tall cages, while they're still a manageable size. They branch out at the top first, and they aren't flexible like tomatoes...

May 20, 2018	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Look good to me just for another opinion for you. Be prepared for them to explode and take over the place. The sticks aren't gonna get it. Worth

May 20, 2018	#4
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	Looks great. Just what I want. But like Worth said, get ready. They will go nuts up and all around. You have lots of room. I have mine at the far, far, end of one of my tomato beds. I let them go up, then wild. Late harvest Sept-oct for me. I smoke them with onions, peppers, garlic, then freeze packets for all winter salsas...

May 21, 2018	#5
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I do have some 8' poles I could bang in. Well, 6' or so by the time I bang 'em in through loose soil to get down to where they'll hold upright. I can put double tomato cages over them and stake the cages so they don't fall over in wind. Stakes or cages? From y'all's comments I have a feeling that either way, these guys are gonna get "interesting". That's the fun of trying something new!

May 21, 2018	#7
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	I cage and stake tomatillos. Those things are great and are essentially weeds. Fruits keep well in a brown paper bag in the fridge for a few weeks if want to hold harvests and do bulk processing.