How to Grow Tomatillos in Pots

Tomatillos grow within a paper-like husk.

Tomatillos produce green fruit inside a papery husk. The plants have a similar growth habit and cultural needs to their close relative, the tomato. Tomatillos don't tolerate frost but produce an abundant crop of tangy-sweet fruit during the hot days of summer. Plants typically begin producing mature fruit within 75 days of planting. The plants grow well in containers but require careful maintenance to ensure they receive everything they need for healthy growth in the confined environment of a pot.

Things You'll Need

• Container
• Soil
• Tomatillo seedling
• Stake
• Plant ties
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Fill a 2-gallon container with moistened potting soil. Use a container with bottom drainage holes so excess moisture drains from the pot.

2. Remove the tomatillo plant from the seedling pot. Plant it in the 2-gallon container at the same depth it was growing at in the seedling pot.

3. Set the container in an outdoor area after all danger of spring frost has passed. Choose a location that receives at least eight hours of daily sunlight.

4. Water the tomatillo plant once daily or when the soil dries at a 1-inch depth. Irrigate until the water drips from the bottom drainage holes to ensure moisture penetrates into the soil at the bottom of the pot.

5. Insert a 5-foot-tall stake into the container until it touches the bottom of the pot. Tie the central tomatillo stem to the stake every 6 to 8 inches along its length as the plant grows.

6. Fertilize tomatillos every two weeks once they begin to flower. Apply a balanced, soluble fertilizer, at the rate recommended on the package.

7. Harvest tomatillos as the husks dry and split but when the fruit is still green. Tomatillo plants continue producing fruit until fall frost kills the plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Spread straw mulch on top of the soil in the pot if the potting mix dries out too quickly from summer heat.

References

• Iowa State University Extension; Tomatillos; Eldon Everhart, et al.; April 2003
• Ohio State Extension; Container Vegetable Garden; Karen Demboski, et al.