Tomatillo Verde
Physalis philadelphia

days to maturity: 60 days
plant spacing: 1 per square foot, trellised
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: white fly and not properly supporting plants, which must be trellised
harvest notes: harvest fruit when papery husk splits.
seasons: fall, winter, spring

Tomatillos flavor is often described as citrusy, tart, sour or tangy, like a granny smith grape. Toma Verde is the most common cultivar producing 2-3” firm green fruit that look like unripe tomatoes. Smaller wild and native varieties also exist and can be found growing as natives throughout the Americas, however this large culinary variety is the one most commonly used in cooking. While tomatillos do grow on a bush plant, and not a vine, they grow so tall and their stalks are so tender that we recommend you trellis them. If youre just growing one or two you may want to consider using a tomato cage for 1-2 plants. While we dont recommend these wire circular trellising systems for tomatoes they are great for smaller plants like cucumbers and tomatillos. Your tomatillo fruit is ready to harvest when you touch the papery husk and the fruit has completely filled it and has actually caused it to split at the bottom.