Tomatillo – Vegetable garden

The tomatillo is surrounded by an inedible, paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit develops, it fills the husk and can part it open by gather. The husk turns dark coloured, and the fruit can be a few hues when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. It has a slightly tangy or citrus taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Common Name: Tomatillo, husk tomato, Mexican groundcherry,large-flowered tomatillo or Mexican husk tomato

scientific Name: Physalis philadelphica

How to grow and maintain Tomatillo(Physalis philadelphica):

Soil:
Tomatillos plants prefer well-drained soil of average fertility or less. It can endure marginally acidic soils and is most productive with pH 6.0 to 7.0. Tomatillo is not a heavy feeder, and should not require fertilizing. They need at least 8 hours of direct sun daily and will develop faster with increased exposure.

Harvesting:
Tomatillos start to develop around 60 days after transplanting and can be collected once fruit have progressed toward becoming plump and the external husk starts to dry out.

Propagation:
Seed – sow March/April in a nursery just barely covering the seed. Germination usually takes place quickly and freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of genuinely rich soil when they are
large enough to deal with and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well. Diurnal temperature changes help germination.

Pruning:                                                                          Pruning of Tomatillos Before you choose how to prune tomatillo plants, you should first determine your goals. The way you prune your plant helps determine the number of tomatillos the plants will produce and the size of the fruit. It also affects the date of maturity.

Seed Saving Method:                                                        Saving tomatillo seeds is a simple process. First cut the tomatillo fruits across the middle and then squeeze the tomatillo seeds and the gel into a container. The container of tomatillo seeds at that point should be put to one side to ferment for about three days. During this time the container of seeds will smell horrible and will go mouldy. When the mould has covered the top of the container add water and stir the mixture. The good seeds will sink to the bottom of the container and the mould and hollow seeds can then be poured off.Add more water and continue the progress until only clean seeds remain. You can also put the mould and seeds into a sieve and wash under running water until just the clean seeds remain.Next spread out the seeds on a glass or artistic plate to dry, which can take around 12 days. Saved seeds should store for 5 – 10 years if kept in the correct conditions.