Tomatillo Plant Size

AlittleSalt · July 17, 2014

In a post here I told about us planting two tomatillo plants back in spring. One was dark green and the other a light green. We planted them 3 foot apart and supplied a simple support for wind protection more than anything else. Just strings between wooden stakes.

Beside the tomatillos, I planted a row of dwarf French marigolds. I learned from organic sites that bugs hate marigolds, so I planted a couple seed packs worth.

I don't know how tomatillos are supposed to grow, but those two plants are 3 foot high and both (Together) are 8 feet long by 8 feet wide and are producing tomatillos by the hundreds. They have limbs that go past the 8'x8' size, but the main bush is difficult to reach into now

. I am wondering if this is normal or odd?

HiPoha · July 19, 2014

I am not an expert on tomatillos and just happy that my plants will bear fruit at all. I had some very good fruits from a few plants that grew about three feet tall previously. My currrent plants are about that high now and have lots of flowers but no fruit yet. Sounds like your plants are doing better. When you look at a commercial tomatillo field, they have some huge plants.

Ken B · July 19, 2014

Here in Virginia, tomatillos regularly grow 5-6' tall when we provide trellising, and one year a neighbor of ours had hers grow to be 10' tall -- something about the cool, wet summer weather that year made them especially tall!

brokenbar · July 20, 2014

I use 7 foot tall "T" posts...they sprawl, they fall, they crowd out their neighbors. I spend half my time in the garden tying them up..Tomatoes on crack. And they are about 3 feet wide tied up the pole. Can't kill 'em, want to kill them some days. I joked about crossing them with tomatoes (cannot do) but that would be a killer tomato plant!

AlittleSalt · July 20, 2014

We do have a lot of bees for pollination here.

5', 6' and 7' tall! wow! They say each plant can produce up to around 800 tomatillos.

HiPoha, I looked online, and yes, tomatillo plants of all sizes. Hawaii cool.

jmsieglaff · July 21, 2014

Yes my tomatoillos always get to the 6-7' range and produce fruits like crazy. Last year we made somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 gallons of roasted tomatillo salsa. I always grow my plants in pairs. 2 plants is always enough for us.

July 17, 2014	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Tomatillo Plant Size In a post here I told about us planting two tomatillo plants back in spring. One was dark green and the other a light green. We planted them 3 foot apart and supplied a simple support for wind protection more than anything else. Just strings between wooden stakes. Beside the tomatillos, I planted a row of dwarf French marigolds. I learned from organic sites that bugs hate marigolds, so I planted a couple seed packs worth. I don't know how tomatillos are supposed to grow, but those two plants are 3 foot high and both (Together) are 8 feet long by 8 feet wide and are producing tomatillos by the hundreds. They have limbs that go past the 8'x8' size, but the main bush is difficult to reach into now. I am wondering if this is normal or odd?

July 20, 2014	#4
brokenbar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Of The Border Posts: 1,169	I use 7 foot tall "T" posts...they sprawl, they fall, they crowd out their neighbors. I spend half my time in the garden tying them up..Tomatoes on crack. And they are about 3 feet wide tied up the pole. Can't kill 'em, want to kill them some days. I joked about crossing them with tomatoes (cannot do) but that would be a killer tomato plant! __________________ "If I'm not getting dirty, I'm not having a good time."

July 19, 2014	#2
HiPoha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Hawaii Posts: 130	I am not an expert on tomatillos and just happy that my plants will bear fruit at all. I had some very good fruits from a few plants that grew about three feet tall previously. My currrent plants are about that high now and have lots of flowers but no fruit yet. Sounds like your plants are doing better. When you look at a commercial tomatillo field, they have some huge plants.

July 19, 2014	#3
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	Here in Virginia, tomatillos regularly grow 5-6' tall when we provide trellising, and one year a neighbor of ours had hers grow to be 10' tall -- something about the cool, wet summer weather that year made them especially tall!

July 21, 2014	#6
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Yes my tomatoillos always get to the 6-7' range and produce fruits like crazy. Last year we made somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 gallons of roasted tomatillo salsa. I always grow my plants in pairs. 2 plants is always enough for us.