Last edited by shiny on 9 Nov 2026. View history
Tomatillo
How to sow tomatillo: Direct seed indoors, transplant seedlings outside after hardening off
Sun requirement for tomatillo: Plant in Full Sun
The tomatillo is a member of the Nightshade family. The plant bears a resemblance to tomato plants and benefits from pruning and trellising. The fruit of the tomatillo plant is small, round, and green or purple. It is covered in a paper husk that splits open when the fruit is ready for harvest. Tomatillos are native to Mexico and can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a citrusy, tart, and tangy lemon flavor.
- 17
- plantings
- 3
- harvests
- 2
- seed packets
Tomatillo facts
Lifespan
Height × spread
100cm × 90cmRow Spacing
60cmGrown for
fruit harvested 3 timesCrop cycle
Max altitude
Optimal light
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For tomatillo, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 8°C and a shortest growing cycle of 80 days at its best temperature, about 960 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your tomatillo will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow tomatillos
Sunniness
Planted from
Harvested for
Plant tomatillos with
Photos
PhotosTomatillo crops
Tomatillo plantings
Video
Where tomatillos grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about tomatillos
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Who's planted tomatillos
- Cwilliamson Home Garden · Angleton, Texas
- lafnlab Garden · Indianapolis,...
- Tui Back Garden · Brooklyn, Wellington
- maco backyard beds · Wheaton-Glenmont, MD
- neotoma Left flowerbed · Silver Spring, MD
Cwilliamson
Tomatillo harvests
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maco harvested 3.
about 7 years ago
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maco harvested 2.
about 7 years ago
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maco harvested 1.
about 7 years ago
maco harvested 3.
Find tomatillo seeds
View all tomatillo seeds
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Physalis philadelphica Lam.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Solanales Solanaceae |
|---|---|
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, light, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | high |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours) |
Learn more about tomatillos
Resources outside Growstuff.
