How to grow tomatillo

Physalis philadelphica · Solanaceae · Vegetable

Tomatillo is a warm-season vegetable in the Solanaceae family, usually started indoors and set out as transplants. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 75–100 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: Grow at least two plants - tomatillos are not self-fertile. Fruit is ready when it swells to fill and split its papery husk and drops from the plant. Big, sprawling and vigorous, so cage or stake it.

Sowing

Sow about 0.25″ deep, into soil between 70–90°F — germination is quickest near 82°F. Germination takes a week or two (7–14 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 7 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 30″ along the row with roughly 36″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is one plant per 2 square feet. Allow at least 18″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 16″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Tomatillo needs roughly 75–100 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant tomatillo

Companions

Common problems

Pests: three-lined potato beetle, flea beetle, tomato hornworm.

Diseases & disorders: early blight, mosaic virus.

Same family (Solanaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.