Physalis philadelphica 'Verde'

Tomatillo. Hundreds of them. Self seeded and fruiting all through Winter. I love the crisp, fruity taste of these Tomatillo. They get eaten as soon as they are picked. Such a good find from @tkept #tomatillo #tomatillo-verde

Love these! Do they go orange like ours in the UK?!!

@garypoetryman No, they stay green. They grow in their balloon like husk. When fully grown, they totally fill the husk and burst the seams. They stay green colour. Traditionally they are mixed with chillies, lime and onion to make salsa.

@Annettenoosa That would be delicious! Do you think they would grow here?

#garypoetryman I feel certain they will. I was introduced to them by @tkept who grows them in Montana USA where they have long snow covered winters. Tom grows his in Summer. Mine struggled in the Oz summer heat and are much happier growing in our mild, frost free winter.

@garypoetryman @Annettenoosa If you can grow tomatoes you can grow tomatillos. Pretty much take the same care. No frost and and they seem to do better when not scorching hot with high humidity also.

@annettenoosa @tkept Great! Thanks for the tips. Might try them if I can find a supplier 😁😁

@garypoetryman If they have them at your local grocery store just buy one and save the seeds. That’s what I did.

@garypoetryman Do not know which part of UK you hail from, but I found this interesting site in Brighton http://www.brightonchillishop.co.uk/growing-tomatillos/ They have purple Tomatillo too. 🙃

Tomatillo. Self seeded. Lovely surprises popping up from compost. These seeds are recommended as Spring planting for Summer fruiting. Qld summer heat was too hot and grasshoppers destroyed foliage. Recommend these as autumn planting for winter fruit in Qld. Getting a bountiful crop in the cooler weather and no grasshoppers. Delicious. @tkept #tomatillo #tomatillo-verde

@Annettenoosa I start my Tomatillos beginning of April. They do great here but just about like growing tomatoes. I just save my seeds from one every year. The ones that self seed do not produce for me as the season is to short here. They have snow on them by the time they flower. I have 8 plants blooming right now. Should be a good crop. 😁

Tomatillo verde, self seeded. Never heard of Tomatillo until Introduced to them by @tkept. Planted first seeds in Oct '18. First harvest was eaten and frozen before Christmas. Bushes that survived the extreme summer (Dec) heat are now fruiting again. New seedlings are making themselves at home wherever they self seed from compost or dropped fruit. My kinda seeds, the ones that self seed. #tomatillo #seedstarting

Tomatillo Verde. Excitement and delight. My first tomatillo emerging like a butterfly from its cocoon. 12 weeks from seed plant to harvest. The taste is delicious, sweet, crispy and similar to the delicate taste of a nashi pear. Complete new experience for me. Never heard of them until @tkept posted his harvest, THANK YOU. They are such a good, high yield crop for Qld summer that is too hot for normal, red tomatoes. #tomatillo-verde #tomatillo @humus1 @rosegardengirl

@Annettenoosa Tomatillos are still one of my most favorite things to grow and eat. Just a fun all around plant that pays off big time. Glad you are growing them. Save some seed for next year. Tom

@tkept I am going to experiment sowing a few seeds every few weeks to see how they grow through all seasons as we do not really have a winter. The grasshoppers have done a lot of damage. They might do better cropping in a different season. Love the taste. Happy New Year.

Tomatillo Verde. I have been watching loads of flowers and baby tomatillo forming. Today's surprise, a few fully formed fruit. Exciting, might be enough for some tomatillo salsa on the Christmas prawns. @tkept 😁🙃 @humus1 #tomatillo-verde

Love a recipe. This looks like a plant we call gooseberry

@Annettenoosa Great but have lots and lots of patience for those lanterns to fill Don’t squeeze empty ones to see if they are filling with fruit. Have fun with them.

@rosegardengirl Tomatillo are Cousin to a gooseberry even if they look like a green tomato. When you cut them open it’s surprising. Not like a tomato inside at all. I think it’s one of my favorites to grow.

@rosegardengirl - not a gooseberry, I have them growing as well.This is my first experience of growing tomatillo so learning as I go.The case and fruit of tomatillo is much bigger than gooseberry, looks more like a small green tomato and the bush is more productive; whereas the goosberry is like a sweet golden marble. Click on the encyclopedia link to see other examples. 😊

@tkept thank you for the advice and help. Gardening certainly teaches patience.

Tomatillo Verde. Plenty of flowers turning into a bounty of green Mexican tomatoes all wrapped in a protective casing. The present rain, heat and humidity will fatten them up. @tkept @humus1 #tomatillo-verde #tomatillo

@cyndi Thank you. I am very excited by these tomatillo. Never heard of them until posts by @tkept and his recipes. They absolutely love the sun and heat. 🐨🙃

@Annettenoosa Annet, the seeds are so easy to save too remember. Just slice one up , stir it in bowl of cool water and enough clean seed will sink. Let them dry and your ready to go the next year. Fun delicious plant. Tom

#tomatillo-propagation

Tomatillo. Seeds planted Mid Oct '18. Seedlings potted up two weeks ago, 35 of them. Was unsure they would germinate, they are galloping ahead. Think I will have to find some garden space for them. Never grown or eaten them so have to experiment to find a good position for them. Even as seedlings they are loving the sun. #tomatillo-verde #tomatillo

@humus1 growing tomatillo is a new experience for me. @tkept might be able to help you with your query.

@Annettenoosa @humus1 I’ve grown tomatillos for years and propagated them from seed. Easy to germinate in wet paper towel/zip bag method. Then just tweet them pretty much like a tomato plant. They are fun, easy and productive. Remember you need more than one. They do not self pollinate. Got my first one at the grocery store. Cut it in 1/4 then stirred it in cool water. Enough seeds fell to the bottom of the clean water to start a farm. Fun plant. 👍

@humus1 I think they should be treated like tomatoes. However, I would normally be finishing my tomatoes now, as we approach hotter weather. I am hoping the fact tomatillo is green and grows in a protective husk, fruit will not be spoilt by the Qld Summer garden pests that destroy tomatoes. All a learning curve. See: https://bonnieplants.com/how-to-grow/growing-tomatillos/

@humus1 - Thank you. I will keep you posted.

Tomatillo. Excited to have grown these Tomatillo from seed. Doubly excited as I had never heard of them or seen them until I saw post by @tkept will be excited too when I try his tomatillo recipes. #tomatotuesday #tomato-tomatillo

@Annettenoosa You will enjoy them. Fascinating plant and so many uses. Treat them as you would a tomato plant and give them lots of room. Many recipes on Pinterest and YouTube. Saving seed from these is easy too. Have fun. Tom