Do Tomatillo Plants need Trellis/Cages? (Tested Tips to support Tomatillos)

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I hope you are doing great in your gardening field. Do Tomatillo Plants need Trellis/Cages? Are you also thinking the same? Do not worry as we are providing some tested tips to support Tomatillos.

The fruits are enwrapped in the husk which makes them look super exceptional. The salsa verde and Mexican dishes are just incomplete without the tomatillos.

Quick takeaways:

• The tomatillos that are just unique in their appearance with their fruits are easy to grow plants and can be grown with many companion plants like Basil, Cilantro, Mint, Marigolds, etc.
• The fruits are known for their citrus flavor full of tanginess.
• If you already have one or are thinking of bringing the tomatillo plants into the garden then they might need a trellis, cages, or stakes.
• The tomatillo plants that can grow even without a trellis, get extra benefits in growing when having support.
• The rich fruits can bend them down a bit, so putting support will definitely help.

In this article, you will get to know how to use support and grow tomatillo plants effectively. 

Do tomatillo plants need support? – Do Tomatillo Plants need Trellis/Cages? 

The tomatillo plants can easily droop as they dont have stiff and hard stems. The stems of tomatillo plants do voluntarily root on coming in contact with the ground. So you need to put stakes, cages, or other suitable support to hold them up. The tomatillo plants have good spreading power and keeping the stakes will give them proper direction to extend and alleviate them. 

The tomatillo plants will keep fruiting until the frost hits them. The tomatillo plants have indeterminate growth and flexible stems that can bend with time on continuous fruiting.

Then these plants need to be supported. Usually, you will see growers using stakes to support the tomatillo plants but you can also use cages, and trellis for it. 

Using cages to support tomatillo plants

Cages are an easy yet effective way to support tomatillo plants. The tomatillo plants can be grown inside cages, where they are at lower risk to get damaged either by stepping over or being attacked by animals.

The plant stays protected. There is the least burden of tying and retying the plant to the support. The cage will do all the work. The cage that you use should be of a height of about 3-4 feet, though it can go up to 5-6 feet for the tall tomatillo varieties. The tomatillo will get habitual with growing that they need to be growing up the cage. 

You may also browse related articles to know more about the plant world, When are Tomatillos ripe? (& when to pick them) 

Using stakes to support tomatillo plants

As you have planted the seeds into the ground, the stakes whether of metal or wood can be installed deep into the soil. It is important to watch out for the roots while piercing the soil with the cage’s lower end.

That’s why placing the cages before the roots have developed is always beneficial. Make sure the stakes you use are 4-5 feet tall and about 4-5 cm wide. Now you have to tie the plant with the stake using the twine gently and carefully without giving a bruise to the stem. 

Using trellis

Again install the trellis in the soil just before you have planted the tomatillo plants to avoid piercing the roots with the trellis.

Then after the plant has grown well, tie the plants using the polythene twined with the trellis avoiding the stem below the flower clusters. 

How tall do Tomatillo Plants grow?

The tomatillo plants that are pests and disease-resistant get to a height of 2.5-3 feet and a width of about 3-4 feet, though the values may change as they can still get taller in their growing season, so you might need to prune them to keep them in particular height. 

How do you support tomatillo plants? 

Plants that have green stems and are kind of fragile are more susceptible to getting bent and reaching the ground. The plants can get infections or any problem in such cases, due to the microbes in the soil.

The tomatillo plants don’t have brown stems and heavy fruits can droop these plants. Giving these plants support can help them to stay in a hold and upright a little. Support like cages, stakes, and trellises can be used for holding the tomatillo plants. Though you can use any other thing to support the tomatillo plants like a hard stick, etc. 

How to Harvest and Store Tomatillos? 

It is easy to harvest this variety when it becomes ripe. When you observe that the fruits are firm in the plant then you can harvest this variety. 

Also when the green fruit of the plant becomes yellow, then it shows that it is over ripe and will not be as much flavoured as compared to that of green fruit. The fruit becomes automatically soft when it becomes overripe and they drop before they ripen. 

You can collect the fruits that are dropped and store them in their husks so that they are fully ripe. They tend to fruit and flower until frost because they are indeterminate varieties. 

Examples of DIY Tomatillo Support Ideas

Some of the few examples of DIY Tomatillo support ideas: 

You can easily stake the tomatillos with those materials that are available in your home. You can make use of spare wood, old sunflower stalks, branches, etc. 

What about the trellis? You can make it too easily by using wire cattle panels or wooden or stainless steel posts. 

You can make a support cage with the help of chicken wire by tying it to the wooden stakes. 

Also, you can make use of deck railing for making the fences to support the tomatillo by tying it to the twine.

Further tested tips to support tomatillo plants

The tomatillo plants can be supported well by following these tips: 

• The excess fruits that are bending the plant can be removed and let the few fruits get ripped and then harvest them. Tomatillo tomatoes keep fruiting for a long time.
• It will be beneficial to do the crop rotation on the spot to keep the diseases at bay. 
• Use sticks, spare wooden parts, and long branches to support the plant. 

Footnote

We hope you liked this article and find it useful in understanding the way to grow tomatillo plants with support like a cage/trellis.

The tomatillo plants can easily droop as they dont have stiff and hard stems. The stems of tomatillo plants do voluntarily root on coming in contact with the ground. So you need to put stakes, cages, or other suitable support to hold them up. The tomatillo plants have good spreading power and keeping the stakes will give them proper direction to extend and alleviate them. 

The tomatillo plants bear delicious fruits and are appealing to watch with their unique-looking fruits. Happy growing up! Happy support! 

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening!

FAQs

Do tomatillos grow well in pots? 

The tomatillo plants can definitely grow in pots and in the spot where there is good sunlight. The plant will still look extraordinarily beautiful in the pots. The pots should be large and have good drainage holes. 

Do tomatillos climb? 

Tomatillos do not climb and the plant is of good height with sprawling branches. The tomatillo plants that are growing with support like stakes, cages, or trellis, will grow healthy and fruit better than the ones without support.