Tomatillos in partial shade?
 

I found this site [URL]http://gardendrum.com/2013/01/04/growing-tomatillos/[/URL] that says, "They will tolerate partial shade." Most other sites say to plant them in full sun.

Have any of you tried growing them in partial shade? I have some volunteers growing and am going to attempt to move them to an area that gets partial shade most of the day and full sun for about 3 hours.

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;546376]I found this site [URL]http://gardendrum.com/2013/01/04/growing-tomatillos/[/URL] that says, "They will tolerate partial shade." Most other sites say to plant them in full sun.

Have any of you tried growing them in partial shade? I have some volunteers growing and am going to attempt to move them to an area that gets partial shade most of the day and full sun for about 3 hours.[/QUOTE]

I did this and that is where my two raised bed are.

Worth

I would give it a go. I have an apple tree that, ahem, needs pruning. It is shading the end of my pea/bean bed most of the afternoon...and shading me in my chair so it stays. : )
I've been putting my tomatillos in the pea bed for a few years now...just let them ramble and they do well at both ends, full sun and part shade...well i suppose the beans shade a bit but not much. When they were rambling in the tomato bed they did get quite a bit of shade and did super.

I am curious..for what purpose would you use a tomatillo, could you not use a tomato. eg in a salsa is there a big difference. Is there a recipe that has to be a tomatillo and a tomato would not do.

Ha, Jeannine, i've been meaning to ask you Canadian questions about certain varieties and vendors, seed suppliers, etc. But i think they would all do well in cooler climates like my MountainTop NY garden.
And bower being in Newfoundland. (another thread for that)

Tomatillos are somewhat thin trailing vines that don't quit. Seem to find their own way and just grow lots of length for me, then come end of August into sept, just full of fruit that ripens fast. Solid firm flesh. Very tart. Very little heat makes a very thick less tart sauce and cooks much like rhubarb. Not watery. I roast them along with toms, onions, hot pepper, sweet peppers in the oven for a 'roasted' sauce. I have even added a stovetop sauce pan of rhubarb and seasoned for a bbq sauce. (rhubarb does not roast so well.)

Even better is similar trays in the smoker for an hour, low heat side firebox style.

Nice tart compliment to the ripe sweetness of a tomato. 1lb to 4lbs toms is about my ratio. Though i will roast/smoke a full tray of just tomatillos with some hot peppers for the freezer in small packets for 'all winter' flavor boosting salsas and various sauces.

Hi, and thank you for your very helpful answer, it makes a good deal of sense to me now.I can see the tart being useful and I quite like that, I don't like anything bitter though. If I can help you with the questions you were going to ask go ahead but I don't know anything this particular veggie.

Do they get blight, and do they have the same heat needs as tomatoes, or are they better outside. If they really will grow in a less sunny spot I may just have a corner I could try them in.

Thank you again

XX Jeannine

A good way to explain a typical green tomatillo... It's an ingredient like vanilla beans. It looks and smells good and makes other foods taste really good, but you don't eat it alone. Star Anise is another ingredient like that.

I've read that the yellow tomatillo varieties have a pineapple like taste, but I've never seen one much less tried one. I've also read that they go well in salsa and sauces. I personally dice them and add them to my Pico de gallo and salsa.

Here a site that didn't have popups for me that gives recipe ideas for tomatillos [URL]http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/tomatillos.html[/URL]

All my tomatillo seeds are from TomGrowersSupply. I have all except the ground cherry i think it's called. The black/purple did not impress and not as prolific for me but maybe my climate. It did add a merky brown to salsa i did not like. The pineapple is smaller but very prolific....so much fruit but again may be my climate. A bit more 'less tart?' but not sweet.
A very good addition as one would use lemons/limes. Not many savor a lemon/lime like an orange or grapefruit. Without added sugars.

Lemons and limes can be crazy expensive, so a foodSaver packet or 1/2 pint of frozen tomatillos whizzed blender with cilantro and a habanero so handy all winter for a citrus kick to soups chowders, salsa...

I should add they don't seed start like toms. A bit like cucurbits that like direct seeding but do fine 3-4 weeks ahead and not a second potting up. I have done both but no real advantage as they get going in warmer soil than toms...

This getting really fascinating, odd I have never looked into it before. I wonder as they are firm and tart and fairly small if they would pickle whole, they may make a nice accompaniments to something. I think I have seen them in the grocery stores, I guess they could be terrible like store bought tomatoes but I think I may go get a pound and play with them a bit. I guess it is a bot to late to try to grow them and I doubt very much if I would find a plant anywhere.

Jeannine, store bought green tomatillos have a lemony tartness. Home garden grown ones we have grown taste [B]a lot[/B] better to us. It's comparable to store bought tomatoes vs home grown ones.

MMM. that's a shame, I will have to wait a long time to try them. I sort of fancied having a go with them picked like I do spiced crab apples

In NYC i get decent tomatillos in an international grocery and much better than a grocery tomato. If you see them in husk and firm it would be worth a try from a grocery. They do hold well and much better than 'long shelf life' tomatoes for a grocery market. Probably due to their density in general.

(home grown anything is far superior as we all know)

If you see them in market don't hesitate. Cut them in half and roast cut side up with some veggies...onion, a hot pepper
and garlic for an hour at 325-350. Then whizz in a blender. Or Cuisinart. Nice sauce on chicken or fish. Taste. Too tart add a bit of maple syrup or honey...

Ok, I am going out shortly, I live in a fairly small town but we might have a bit of luck. My daughter goes to music lessons about an hours drive from here and she favors a specific green grocer over there. It is run my an East Indian family and she said they have all sorts of stuff she has never seen before..do you know if that culture would use them , if so I will try and send her with info, pictures etc t look for them.f
If I do did them and there are different types,)I can always hope) is there anyone better than another.

XX Jeannine

I'm unsure on that one. When I think of Tomatillos - I think of Mexico.

Robert, I grew three different types back in 2009 and had them in about half shade. The production was a bit low, but the flavor was not affected. Try to get at least 4-6 hours per day of sun. Otherwise, try to make sure you're taking full advantage of any "reflected sunlight" and that will make the difference. I was growing Cisneros, and two purple varieties.

[QUOTE=Jeannine Anne;554620]I am curious..for what purpose would you use a tomatillo, could you not use a tomato. eg in a salsa is there a big difference. Is there a recipe that has to be a tomatillo and a tomato would not do.[/QUOTE]

Completely different taste. It's a cooked,green,tomatillo salsa,delicious in its own way but different from tomato salsa.

I like salsa with roasted tomatillos, my favorite salsa for sure. Yes comparing tomatoes to tomatillos is like comparing ketchup to mustard. They are not similar IMHO.

Been shopping but no luck, well not quite right. We have a very fancy shmancy shop in town that sells most everything. I went in there and asked. I was surprised when the produce manager told me he had ordered some and if his supplier had them they would be in tomorrow. I than asked if he knew what variety and he said "is there more than one" I told him yes and he replied "they are green"

So tomorrow I may get my hands on some and I can try the recipes and if I take out some seeds and plant them straight away would that be OK? This is a first for me!!!!

[QUOTE=Jeannine Anne;555423]

So tomorrow I may get my hands on some and I can try the recipes and if I take out some seeds and plant them straight away would that be OK? This is a first for me!!!![/QUOTE]

Yes, it should work.

The green ones are ...hmm, sort of like most people think tomatoes are only red and round. Verde is probably the most popular, and can be found in grocery stores. I'm guessing they last longer on the shelf?

Like I've written above this post, I'm trying several different-to-us varieties this year. If they produce well, maybe I could mail you some to try out? I don't know squat about what veges are okay to send to Canada, but we'll figure it out if that time comes.

In a local seed catalogue I have access to Verde and Aunt Mollies which I think are different, it is probably too late to start thia year, is it, could you give me a list og decent ones and I can try to find them.

Great that you are helping me like this, I am very thankful, it is somerimes hard to start something completely new.

XX Jeannine

Last year was a total failure for my tomatoes and tomatillos and just about everything else I planted. Whiteflies were set in the garden pretty well. I planted a lot of jicamas which were resistant against the whiteflies and aphids and doing this has purged my garden of them . The start of this year, I harvested my jicamas and went back to planting tomatoes and a few tomatillos, which are doing very well. Tomatillos planted in January have been ready to pick in four months. I have two plants in a 25 gallon container that has given me over a hundred fruits. I guess with the warm weather coming, it should be a good time to plant tomatillos in the northern hemisphere. I planted the large green variety, but they only grew to about golf ball size. But they are tasty and I have made some great chile verde with them.

Tomatillo rocks! I wait for volunteers to come up and place them in the most convenient, and new, spot in my garden without problem. Essential for salsa! They are ok raw when mixed in salad in small amounts.

I have been looking at various nurseries for tomatillos and Baker creek has some iteresting ones they collected themselves. Purple Coban. Collected at Coban, Guatemala.
Also "Tiny From Coban" Collected same place, in 2005, grown out finally in 2013. Part of the description
"a true tomatillo, having the typical husk, but the fruit is smaller, about the diameter of a dime. Fruits ripen to green or purple and are possessed of an unusual savory taste—somewhat different from other tomatillos"
The Amarylla Tomatillo from Poland, is a yellow one. More like a huge ground cherry.

I start mine from seed about two weeks after my tomatoes. They grow FAST. I usually put them in morning sun, but afternoon shade. They keep well in an unheated garage IF you do not pull the husk off. I make green sauce for enchiladas, just like tomato sauce, with lots of garlic, in the food processor, then cooked. It freezes well.

Well I fund a few varieties of seed but I guess it is too late to start them for this year, I shall be listening to all you say ready for next Spring, thank you for all the help

Not too late at all Jeannine. My three varieties are still in packets. I'll start them in a couple weeks and plant them out second-ish week June. I have even direct seeded as they are similar to sweetpeas in legginess and fast growers. (different seasons i know but similar plant growth) They hate cold so no reason to even start them much ahead. I often get wintered over volunteers but can't count on that so i start a few. They are not like a tomato in growth. More like a leggy sprawling cuke. Easily ignored till end of August-Sept when they explode. Toms and beans are dying off, then the tomatillos start filling out their lantern 'greenhouses'.

Oakley, my seeds finally arrived today, this is what I bought

Plaza Latina..Giant Green
Purple keepers,Modern Landrace....this sounds like it may be a mix ???
Ground Cherry Ottos' Brush Creek.

I think I got some substitutions as I got 2 packets of one kind and I am certain I ordered 4

Anyway this is what I have,,is there still time to sow them?

Jeannine, ours started coming up volunteer at the same time tomato volunteers came up.

I started tomatillo seeds the same day I started tomatoes and peppers. But - Texas and Canada are a little bit different weather wise :)

Tomatillos germinate in soil temperatures between 65F and 85F. Most of the seeds I start indoors is in potting /starter mix around 75F - except for peppers - they like hotter temps.