How to Grow Tomatillo
Tomatillo At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 4°C
Plant Family
Solanaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Our summers are too short for tomatillos to ripen well from an outdoor sowing, so start them inside. Sow 2 seeds per small pot 0.5 cm deep, about 6 weeks before your last frost, keep them warm, and they sprout in 7 to 14 days. Plant them out about 2 weeks after your last frost, 75 cm apart, burying the stem deeper like a tomato so it grows extra roots. Before planting out, set the pots outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours a day, a little longer each day for about a week, so they toughen up (this is called hardening off).
Always grow at least 2 tomatillo plants, because a single plant cannot pollinate itself and gives empty husks. They grow into big, sprawling bushes, so give them a cage or stake from the start. Fallen fruit often seeds itself, so expect a few surprise seedlings next year.
When To Start
Tomatillo needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Tomatillo?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Tomatillo Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Tomatillo Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Start tomatillo seeds indoors, and grow at least 2 plants
6 weeks before your last frost
Plant tomatillos out deep and give each one a cage
2 weeks after your last frost
Pick tomatillos when the husk is full and starts to split
About 70 days after you plant it
Start hardening off your tomatillo seedlings: an hour outside today, a little longer each day.
4 days after your last frost
Water your new tomatillo plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your tomatillos are growing! Stake or cage them now, they get big and sprawl.
About 41 days after you plant it
Your tomatillos are filling out! Pick them when the husk fills and starts to split.
About 67 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your tomatillo.
About 80 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Tomatillo's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Give tomatillos your sunniest spot, with at least 8 hours of sun a day.
- 2Plant them in soil rich in compost, or in a large pot of rich potting mix.
- 3Water deeply about once a week, and spread mulch to keep the soil evenly moist.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks once flowers appear.
- 5Put a tomato cage or a sturdy stake in at planting time, since the branches sprawl and can break under the fruit.
- 6Pick off striped potato beetles and their larvae by hand, and look under the leaves for their orange eggs.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~80
Days to Maturity
120 cm
Mature Height
90 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Pick when the husk fills out and splits, fruit still firm
How to Harvest
- 1Pick tomatillos when the papery husk is full and starting to split, and the fruit inside is firm.
- 2Fruit that has dropped to the ground is usually ripe too, so gather it up.
- 3Pick every few days, because the more you pick, the more the plant makes.
- 4Keep them in their husks in a paper bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- 5Peel off the husk and rinse away the sticky coating just before you use them in salsa verde or cooked sauces.
- 6Before the first fall frost, pick every fruit that has filled its husk, since frost ruins them.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Tomatillos need a second plant for pollen, and different varieties cross with each other, so grow only one variety if you want seeds like the parent. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true. Pick a few very ripe fruits, mash them in a bowl of water, and let it sit for a few hours: the good seeds sink to the bottom. Pour off the pulp and floating seeds, rinse the good ones in a sieve, and dry them on a plate for about a week. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep for several years.
Seed Production
Still have a question?
Ask your coach about your tomatillo.
This page covers what we thought to write down. Your tomatillo will do something it never mentions, and that is the day a coach beats a guide. Ask Coach Lumen one question right now, free, no account.
