I have a tomatillo plant and it keeps flowering, but when does the fruit appear? The blossoms are yellow, and it looks like after they fall off a tiny husk appears, but then I have been waiting for the little fruit, and it just looks like another blossom is going to bloom.
It usually takes 11-12 weeks for fruit to appear. The papery husk is actually where the fruit is located. The husk is brown and the fruit yellowish when ripe. The condition of the "husk" is a good indication of the freshness of the fruit. The husk should be light brown and fresh looking, not shriveled and dried. Fruit should be firm.
Will it help to trim back my tomatillo plants? Right now, there are way more buds than I will ever need. If I trimmed back some of the branches, would the remaining fruits do better? Last year, I ended up with not one decent fruit - they never got big enough. They get water every day, and I have my drip system watering them for 30-90 minutes per day, depending on the weather. I am in California, average high temp 80-90 degrees, and they are in full sun.
They are more determinate than tomatoes, so I wouldn't prune them. However, as with tomatoes, this is more of a personal choice so you could prune them, but it will reduce your harvest. You may also want to explore the use of a trellis or cage to help make the plant less unwieldy. Most people find it easier to simply allow the plant to sprawl.
This is the first time I saw tomatillo plants in the store. I bought two plants growing in one pot. I read that two plants are needed for pollination. So I am set. Where may I find a use for these? Any recipes you can suggest? I had a lot of flowers as I looked last week.
We do not yet have a recipe section on the site, but I would recommend allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/search/results/?wt=tomatillo&sort=re) Salsa is the most common use for tomatilloes.
I have beautiful leaves and blossoms, but no fruit.
Tomatillos are related to tomato plants and share many of the same growing conditions, as well as problems. Therefore, this article on lack of tomato fruit should be helpful with tomatillos too: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-blossoms-no-tomatoes.htm
This year I decided to try growing a tomatillo. I have a huge plant now and loads of the little husk things growing on it besides lots more blossoms, but when I feel of these husks, they appear to be empty. Now I read that I have to have two or more. Does this mean that I should pull it up and plan to start several next year?
Without two plants, it is unlikely that the plant will produce fruit. They may produce a few, but not much more than that. Pulling it up would be up to you. Perhaps you could find a mature plant at a local nursery that you could purchase to bring home and make the first one produce.
Why isn't my sole tomatillo plant producing any fruit? It's about 3+ feet tall and budding little buds and things that may be tomatillo fruits someday, but do they just take a while?
It has been a hard summer on nightshade vegetables, with the high heat and humidity. The high humidity makes it difficult for them to pollinate well. You may need to hand pollinate. Tomatoes and tomatilloes are pollinated in the same way, so this article will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/pollinate-tomatoes.htm
When do you know that tomatillos are ripe?
Your tomatillos are ready to pick once the fruit gets firm and the husk gets dry, papery and straw colored.