Take care
All parts except the ripe fruit — leaves, stems, flowers, unripe fruit and the papery husk — contain solanine and are poisonous if eaten. Eat only the ripe fruit, husk removed.
Tomatillo
Physalis philadelphica
Start tomatillo indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost, then plant out 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Space plants 36 in (91 cm) apart.
Photo: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended- Start indoors4 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening off1 week after your last spring frost
- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 75 days after planting out
Optimal Transplant
From seed- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 75 days after planting out
Growing tomatillo
- Spacing in the row
- 36 in (91 cm)
- Between rows
- 48 in (122 cm)
- Planting depth
- 1/4 inch
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Soil
- Well-drained, fertile loam
- Germination
- 7-14 days at 75-85°F
- Harvest season
- Mid-Summer to Fall
- Mature height
- 36-60 inches
- Support
- Stake, Cage, Trellis
- Life cycle
- Annual
Sow seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost; provide bottom heat and supplemental lighting.
Watering. Consistent moisture is crucial, especially during flowering and fruiting. Avoid waterlogging.
Neighbours
The companion chart →Grows well beside
Nasturtium
Onion
Carrot
Basil
Borage
Asparagus
Fennel
CabbageFeeding
- Seedlings
- Balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength once true leaves emerge.
- Growing
- Balanced granular or liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks once established.
- Flowering and fruiting
- Higher potassium fertilizer once flowering begins to support fruit development.
- How often
- Every 3-4 weeks during active growth and fruiting.
- Note
- Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can promote foliage at the expense of fruit production.
Your tomatillo, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.