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Green tomatillos in their papery husks

Oregon · Washington · Idaho

When to plant tomatillos

Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle May 15 – Jun 12; Spokane May 20 – Jun 17; Boise May 1–29; Bend Jun 9 – Jul 7.

Tomatillos are a nightshade relative of tomatoes that grows tart green or purple fruit inside a papery husk. They're the base of salsa verde, usually roasted or boiled first, and the fruit is ready when it fills and splits the husk. The plants sprawl wide, so give them a cage or stake.

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Puts tomatillos on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
3 feet apart
Planting depth
Bury the stem up to the first leaves, like tomatoes
Frost
Killed by frost
First harvest
About 75 days after planting

Easier than tomatoes in cool summers, but you need at least two plants: one plant alone rarely sets fruit.

Tomatillo planting dates

TownsStart seeds indoorsPlant in the garden
Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 20 – Apr 3May 15 – Jun 12
Spokane, WA, Astoria, ORMar 25 – Apr 8May 20 – Jun 17
Boise and Meridian, IDMar 6–20May 1–29
Bend and Redmond, ORApr 14–28Jun 9 – Jul 7

Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.

Tomatillo year at a glance

TaskJFMAMJJASOND
Start indoorsMarApr
PlantMayJun
HarvestAugSepOct

Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.

How to grow tomatillos

  1. Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
  2. Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
  3. Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 3 feet apart. Bury the stem up to the first leaves, like tomatoes.
  4. Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
  5. Harvest: Pick when the fruit fills and starts to split its papery husk. Stored in their husks in the fridge, they keep for two weeks or more.

Growing tomatillos in your part of the Northwest

The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.

West-side valleys

Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon

Tomatillos tolerate cooler weather better than tomatoes and set fruit freely once summer warms. Grow at least two plants so they cross-pollinate.

Coast

Oregon and Washington coast

Tomatillos may ripen on the coast if planted in a sunny, sheltered spot, though yields are lower in cool summers.

East of the Cascades

Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho

Tomatillos love the heat and often produce more than you need. Plants sprawl, so give them space and support.

High desert and mountain towns

Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon

Start indoors and plant out after frost. Tomatillos often self-seed in warmer spots.

More tomatillo varieties

More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.

Toma Verde

Early green tomatillo · About 60 days from transplant

The most widely grown tomatillo, with medium green fruit and tangy flavor for salsa verde. It is early enough to ripen well in cool Northwest summers.

Short seasons

Grande Rio Verde

Large-fruited green

Large green fruit on vigorous plants with heavy yields. A favorite for making big batches of salsa and sauce, and the larger fruit means less husking.

Both sides

Purple

Purple-skinned heirloom

Smaller fruit with purple skin and a sweeter, fruitier flavor than green types. Good fresh in salsa and colorful in the garden.

Both sides

De Milpa

Small heirloom, purple-tinged

A Mexican heirloom with small, sharp-flavored fruit that turns purple-tinged in sun. Productive and stores well in its husk, and the sharp flavor shines in cooked sauces.

Both sides

How much to grow

How many to plant

Grow at least two plants so they pollinate each other. For a family of four, 2 to 4 plants.

What to expect

Several pounds of fruit per plant.

Storing the harvest

In their husks, they keep two weeks or more in the fridge. Freeze or can salsa.

What to plant after tomatillos

Around Portland, the tomatillo harvest wraps up around October. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.

Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.

Key numbers

Top care tip: Pick when the fruit fills and splits its papery husk, and keep at least two plants for pollination.

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Why you need two plants

Tomatillo flowers can't pollinate themselves, so pollen has to come from a different plant, carried by bees. A lone plant blooms happily but sets few or no fruit, leaving empty papery husks. Plant at least two, close enough for bees to visit both. Toma Verde, Grande Rio Verde and Purple all cross with each other.

Tomatillos handle cool Northwest summers better than tomatoes, setting fruit in weather that would stall a tomato.

Planting and support

Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost, and plant out once nights stay above about 50°F. Like tomatoes, they root along buried stems, so plant deep. Plants grow wide and floppy, often 3 to 4 feet tall and across, so give them the full 3 feet of spacing and a large cage or sturdy stakes.

Average garden soil with some compost is enough. Too much nitrogen grows leaves at the expense of fruit.

Harvest and use

Pick when the fruit fills the husk and the husk starts to split or turn papery. Green types are best slightly underripe for tart salsa verde; purple ones turn deep purple and sweeter as they ripen.

Tomatillos keep two weeks or more in their husks in the fridge, and they freeze well whole after husking and rinsing. Fruit that drops and rots in the bed often leaves volunteer seedlings next spring, so clean up fallen fruit if you don't want them.

Good neighbors and crop rotation

Good neighbors

  • Peppers and onions. Same salsa garden and warm-season timing.

Tomato family: Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos and ground cherries are all one family. Keep them out of the same bed for three years: early blight survives on old plant debris and verticillium wilt lives in the soil. Dig up volunteer potatoes, which can carry late blight over winter.

Pests and problems

What most often goes wrong with tomatillos in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.

No fruit

Signs: Empty husks on a single plant.

What to do: Grow at least two plants.

Flea beetles

Signs: Tiny holes in young leaves.

What to do: Row cover until plants are growing strongly.

Saving tomatillo seed

Will it come true?

Tomatillos need a second plant to set fruit, so the seed is always a cross of the plants you grew. Seedlings are usually close to the parents if you grow one variety.

How to save it

Let fruit ripen fully and fall from the plant, then mash it in water, let the good seed sink, rinse and dry it on a plate. Store dry seed in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dry place.

Common questions about growing tomatillos

When should I plant tomatillos in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?

Plant in the garden: May 15 – Jun 12 in Portland and Seattle, May 20 – Jun 17 in Spokane, May 1–29 in Boise and Jun 9 – Jul 7 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.

Why are my tomatillo husks empty?

The flowers weren't pollinated, almost always because there's only one plant, or because bees were scarce. Grow at least two plants near each other and the husks should fill.

Why are tomatillos sticky inside the husk?

That's a natural coating on the fruit skin. It's harmless; just rinse it off under warm water after removing the husk.

Can you freeze tomatillos?

Yes. Remove the husks, rinse off the sticky coating, dry them and freeze whole on a tray before bagging. They soften when thawed, which is fine for salsa and sauces.

See what else to plant in March, April, May or June.

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