Tomatillo

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldGreat, Belgian EndiveGreat and ChervilGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Tomatillo indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 60 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 75 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  Red Mustard
  

  Red MustardGreat pair

  • ❧Red Mustard attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Tomatillo
  • ❧Red Mustard suppresses pests that trouble Tomatillo
  • ❧Red Mustard draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
• 
  Wasabina
  

  WasabinaGreat pair

  • ❧Wasabina attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Tomatillo
  • ❧Wasabina suppresses pests that trouble Tomatillo
  • ❧Wasabina draws Bees and Butterflies that improve pollination for both
• 
  Wild Garlic
  

  Wild GarlicGreat pair

  • ❧Wild Garlic attracts Hoverflies, which prey on the Aphids that attack Tomatillo
  • ❧Wild Garlic draws Bees and Bumblebees that improve pollination for both
  • ❧Wild Garlic acts as living mulch, keeping soil moist and weeds down around Tomatillo

How to grow Tomatillo

1. Sow6 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space60 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~75 days

Water: Medium · Height: 120 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile