How to Plant Tomatillo

Overview

Tomatillos are also called husk tomatoes, miltomates, Mexican green tomatoes, jamberberries and strawberry tomatoes. They are native to Mexico and have been grown as a food crop for hundreds of years. Tomatillo plants are bushy and grow 3 to 4 feet tall. They will keep flowering and fruiting until the autumn frost kills the plant. The tomatillo fruit looks like a yellowish-green miniature Chinese lantern that is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Just like tomatoes, tomatillos like full sunlight and moist, fertile soil.

Step 1

Remove all weeds from the planting site with a hoe, and compost or destroy the weeds. Tomatillos do not like competition from other plants for resources.

Step 2

Spread 1 to 2 lbs. of all-purpose fertilizer per 100 square feet of planting area. Dig this to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

Step 3

Break up dirt clods, remove large rocks and rake the soil smooth.

Step 4

Dig a hole as deep as the rootball and first small leaves on the stem. Fill the hole with water and place the tomatillo in the hole. Fill the hole with soil and mound the soil up 2 to 3 inches around the stem.

Step 5

Place a tomato cage around the seedling to provide support for the tomatillo plant as it grows. Plant other tomatillo plants 3 feet apart and keep the rows 3 to 6 feet apart.

Step 6

Spread a 2-inch layer of straw around the tomatillo plants to help conserve soil moisture and control weed growth.