Help with Tomatillo blossoms

[Nubsmum]

I planted two Tomatillo plants this year for the first time. I noticed last night that the oldest blossoms have rotted and are falling off.

These were the first ones to come. Since we have had colder weather in Oregon could that be the cause? I thought I had read that Tomatillo don't need bees to pollinate if they are close to each other. Not sure if that is true. We are short on bees so I could hand pollinate.

Any vetrans out there with growing advise?

Thanks!!!:rose

 

[patandchickens]

Tomatoes and eggplants (same family) won't set fruit if the nights are below, what, 50-55 F? I would guess tomatillas would be similar. You may just have to wait for warmer weather, unless you can rig something to keep them warmer.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[rebbetzin]

hmmm, they grow like weeds here in Tucson. I wonder if it is hot enough in Oregon to grow them? Well, Oregon inland from the coast, aren't there High Desert areas?

They love the heat and dry weather here. I had a plant last year that took over the entire garden area!

This year, so far none have come up. But, I didn't plant any, they usually are good about "volunteering" each year. Not this year for some reason.

I have a great recipe for a Tomatillo Sauce with almonds that is very nice and keeps well in the fridge.

Green Tomatillo Sauce

This sauce is good served with any kind of meat.

1 medium onion
1/4 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
2 tablespoons of salad oil
2 cups chopped fresh Tomatillos
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 can mild green California Chiles, more or less according to taste
2 cups chicken broth
salt if needed to taste.

Combine onion, almonds, and oil in sauce pan and cook, stirring over medium heat until onion is soft and almonds are lightly browned.

Whirl the tomatillos in a blender until fairly smooth. Add to onion mixture. Stir in the cilantro and green chiles. Taste to see if you want more chiles, the sauce should be fairly mild in flavor.

Add the Chicken broth and simmer rapidly uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups. Stir occasionally. You can cover sauce and chill for several days.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Pat's right about the temp situation. IME, it's around 45-50, anything below 45 and all bets are off.

As far as pollination goes with most Nightshade (potato, tomato, eggplants, (some) peppers) all you really have to do is give the plant a good shake and they pollinate really easily.

You could put red or black plastic over the ground around the plants to warm up the soil. We usually do this in the early season to help with early production it seems to work well.

Although I don't recommend this. This reminds me of when I was a kid and we would like smoke pots in the grape fields and wet the citrus trees to prevent loss of fruit from the frost.

 

[Nubsmum]

I bet it is the weather. We have had cool nights in the 50's. I will try the mulch method.

The recipe for salsa sounds yummy!!!:coolsun I will have to try it if I get enough. The Tomatillo were kind of an afterthought. I have 15 other standard Toms in and it will be a late season for them due to weather, I am sure.

Thanks again for all your wisdom. It sure helps.

 

[Tutter]

I imagine that the temperatures are playing the largest factor in this, as mine, which grow very well here, are growing in much warmer temperatures.

They may need help with pollination even when it warms, though.

Have you ever eaten tomatillos? You probably have, so know how different from tomatoes they are.

Something else I like to do with them, aside from salsa, is use them in stir fries.

You can pick them at 2 stages. Either firm, but not fully ripe, in which case they will have a nice, tart flavor.

The 2nd stage is quite ripe, in which case it won't be tart. But be careful at that stage, as you don't want them too ripe; it's a tightrope.

My father only uses firm, tart stage tomatillos for his stir fries, but I like some from both stages. I make one dish using tomatoes, both tart and ripe tomatillos, and other vegetables, and each adds something to the depth of the dish.

I hope it warms up soon so that you can enjoy them!

 

[Nubsmum]

Thanks so much for the help. I can only pray for warmer temps. The days are in the high 60's or low 70's and nights in the 50's. The veggies are building bonfires at night and roasting marshmellows to stay warm. I have blossoms on my regular toms too, so I guess we will just have to see. This may be a slim garden year for us in OR and WA.

I love mexican food and so was excited about tomatillos. I thought that if the two plants did well this year, I would do more next year for some salsa canning.

I do have some small patty pan and eight ball squash starting to grow. They are about quarter size so far but I keep telling them to hurry up so we can eat them. That could be counter productive in the long run if they have a strong will to live. ha ha