How to Grow Tomatillos

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment we're going to learn all about how to grow tomatillos or tomatillos. It's a beautiful plant that's related to tomatoes that's used in all types of Mexican foods. It's one of my favorite foods. Now, tomatillos are grown just like tomatoes would be grown, and you start em' by seeds. And so, you wait until the last frost is gone; at least two weeks to a month after the last frost, and you just start em' by seed about two inches deep. And they'll grow a vine just like a tomato does. Put em' on a tomato cage, up against a fence, or onto some string, and just wrap em' on there, and they'll grow all summer long. And then, they'll produce these little green; they look about the size of a cherry tomato, but they're green and they have veins through em, and as soon as they look full and ripe you pull em' off and you can use em'. And they're used in salsas or in jellies; in all different types of Mexican recipes, and they taste really good. There's even a juice that they make from it that tastes really good; just like candy. And they'll grow all summer through the fall. You just keep picking the tomatillos off. And in the fall the vine'll start dying back when it gets cold at night, and you can just chop em' down to the ground, and either let em' mulch themselves or just let em' die and compost what's remaining, and just start em' in the spring again. Just start em' by seed, or sometimes you can buy em' in a container already growing, and just transplant em'. And so, they like full hot, all day sun, especially if you live in the coast or a little bit inland. If you live in a really hot climate they can handle a little bit of shade as well. So, grow tomatillos just like you would a tomato. Put em' in good organic soil, compost, and make sure they have something to grab onto, and then cut or pick the tomatillos off as they're ripe. And you can grow em' yourself and enjoy them in all of your Mexican dishes."