Tomatillo Failure

[GoDawgs]

The one plant I tried years ago grew nicely but it never produced the first tomatillo so I gave up on them. Then this year I read the tomatillo discussion here about self-pollinating vs needing a pollinator to produce and so I tried them again and grew three, each one supported differently.

It rather ended in failure. One by one they succumbed to some kind of wilt. It definitely wasn't bacterial wilt but rather something that was caused by some kind of problem with the stem at the soil line. At the time there was too much going on in the garden so I didn't take the time to really explore what was going on with the first plant to have the problem. Shame on me for not taking the time.

The problem hit the other two one by one. This one on the end with the pole and twine supports was as the first one to go:



The second plant (in the middle with cage support) flowered profusely and had a ton of bees around it but only set one fruit:



The third was the sprawler (minimal initial support) and it set a lot of fruit but they never sized up and the leaves weren't a nice green even when fertilizer was applied. The fruits yellowed to a past ripe stage without splitting the husk:



I may have overwatered. They only got afternoon sun but that was about 6 hours worth. There were no signs of nematode damage on the roots.

Next spring they will have more sun and only get watered when they tell me they want it. Anything else I should change or try?

[carolyn137]

This is the best article about tomatillos that I've had in my faves for a long time and have linked to it many times.

https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proc...90/V1-407.html

Maybe it might help.

Carolyn

[swellcat]

Did you taste the fruit in photo #1? Unless you were expecting a perennial, that doesn't look convincingly like failure.

[JRinPA]

Different climate here, obviously, but I just stuck them in the raised bed like tomatoes/pepper/eggplants and they have gone plumb crazy with no sign of stopping. I did plant them late, well after my hot peppers were in. The flea beetles were all over them at first, but they seem disease free. I may have watered once or twice in June when it was really dry yet. All this rain since end of June has burst their stems and they are showing white where they burst, but are still going. Not that I know what to do with them. They are kind of tart and I'm just throwing them in the chili and salsa. I planted five in the same spot, squeezing them into a spot between a pair of hab and a pair of thai dragon peppers, eventually culled two of them. Then when they got tall and laid over, I shifted them around the thai peppers and caged them, kind of in the next spot over; by then it was clear of lettuce.

I'm not real sure what to do with the fruit but I do think I'll grow again next year...the bumblebees are out there covered up in the tomatillo pollen when I took the pictures.

I'd say give it another try the same way, like tomatos/eggplant/peppers. I was also one that tried and failed with a single plant the first year, and I almost didn't plant this year until I about hit my head on some tomatillo seeds at the store and thought, what the heck.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

This is the best article about tomatillos that I've had in my faves for a long time and have linked to it many times.

https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proc...90/V1-407.html

Maybe it might help.

Carolyn

Thanks for that link. Some takeaways:
- Water management. Tomatillos don't like too much water.
- All those flowers not on main branches and laterals won't set fruit. That explains some of the fruitlessness compared to number of flowers.
- They don't grow well below 65 degrees so an earlier start isn't wise without protection.
- "...the inflated calyx stops growing before the berry and is usually split by the expanding fruit." My fruit never filled the calyx to split it. Marble size even though they were supposed to be a large variety.
- They can be tissue-cultured but can a main branch with adventitious roots be layered (the damp peat moss/baggie thing), cut and grown as a new plant?

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by swellcat

Did you taste the fruit in photo #1? Unless you were expecting a perennial, that doesn't look convincingly like failure.

No, I did not. The fruit inside those calyxes were about the size of marbles.
Since this variety was supposed to make large fruit, I wouldn't call it a success.

[GoDawgs]

Those are beautiful plants! Looks like you used a fencing cage. That's what I use for tomatoes so I'll use them for tomatillos too next year.

Originally Posted by JRinPA

I'd say give it another try the same way, like tomatos/eggplant/peppers.

I give everything new three tries before they're outta here.

Originally Posted by JRinPA

I almost didn't plant this year until I about hit my head on some tomatillo seeds at the store and thought, what the heck.

By golly, ya gotta watch those aggressive seed packs!

[Worth1]

Without reading Carolyn's link it sounds like chili wilt or something like it.
Caused too by too much water.

[swellcat]

I'm not real sure what to do with the fruit . . .

Thirty Things to Do with Tomatillos

(Tomatillos de Milpa are plummy enough to me to eat raw.)

Man, green chile/salsa verde goes so well with so many things you're likely already eating, anyway. Eggs, rice, hot dogs, pork roast . . . I put it and ripe avocado in chicken salad yesterday . . . and barely any of the dish made it to day two.

[JRinPA]

So I made some salsa verde last night. We ate most of it warm with nachos. I don't remember ever having it before. Roasted tomatillos, bunch of garlic, and three jalapenos in a 13x9, then into food processor with half an onion and a tbsp of lime juice. In the words of Larry David, "Pretty...pretty good". GoDawgs, you are definitely trying again next year.


My tomatoes are mostly done, but those tomatillo plants are still going strong.

[greenthumbomaha]

I planted 4 Chef Jeff plants in Mid June (got them on sale), in 85% sun (100% in the afternoon). They took a while to start growing tall, but then took off by July. They made flowers all summer but nothing else. Recently I have seen a few giant lanterns ( I haven't counted but guess 5 per plant) and they are empty. It was our hottest and sunniest summer evah! I should have seen a tomatillo forest floor by now.

I checked the price of tomatillos in the grocery and they are currently selling for $3.99/lb. If they are generally available in the grocery during the winter (are they in season and shipped then?) I may give the roasting a try. What I have sampled wasn't a big hit with me, but roasted might win me over.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

I planted 4 Chef Jeff plants in Mid June (got them on sale), in 85% sun (100% in the afternoon). They took a while to start growing tall, but then took off by July. They made flowers all summer but nothing else. Recently I have seen a few giant lanterns ( I haven't counted but guess 5 per plant) and they are empty. It was our hottest and sunniest summer evah! I should have seen a tomatillo forest floor by now.

I checked the price of tomatillos in the grocery and they are currently selling for $3.99/lb. If they are generally available in the grocery during the winter (are they in season and shipped then?) I may give the roasting a try. What I have sampled wasn't a big hit with me, but roasted might win me over.

Update :

My neighbor visited today and she has small fruits about nickle sized in her husks. I squeezed and have the same, some a bit larger but still green husked. One more day of 90 degree weather then dropping to seasonal 70's after a rough storm this afternoon.. Any hope for their continued maturation?

[JRinPA]

A week ago you had 5 husks per plant and they are now nickel quarter sized fruits? But still just 5 each with no more recruitment? I just had a bunch more I picked last week, a full 10x20 tray from those plants I have in the raised bed. Whenever I posted last (says a week ago but seems longer) I had picked everything of size. So that full 10x20 developed from small to full in that time. It has not been 90s here, more like humid 70s. There are a bunch more on and the plants still look very healthy.

Assuming they are being pollinated (mine are like crazy by bumblebees) I would think they would go to full size, but is it worth it to you? I don't know. I wish I could give you some of mine to try but that's the problem with the internets. I made that salsa verde again, but it wasn't as good this time. I think I went crazy on garlic and used some el cheapo lime juice instead of "real lime". I tend to do that with recipes, try to tailor them prematurely. I have to go back read it and follow it closely next time.

[swellcat]

I think I went crazy on garlic and used some el cheapo lime juice instead of "real lime".

I'd withhold the lime until after you've tasted the salsa—tomatillos often bring their own excellent acidity—and squeeze as needed.

[Worth1]

I really dont want to say how cheap they are where I live.