The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
Tomatillos produce green or purple fruits encased in a papery husk.
The fruit will completely fill the husk and easily pull off the plant.
As an indeterminate plant,tomatillos continue to flowerand produce fruit throughout the summer until frost.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Because of the husk and green color, it can be confusing about when to harvest a tomatillo.
5 Signs Tomatillos Are Ripe and Ready to Pick
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Since tomatillos are indeterminate, they will not flower and set fruit all at once.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Harvesting should be done every few days throughout the growing season.
The fruit will often drop off the plant before it is fully ripened.
Any fruit remaining on the vines will continue to ripen and be good for several months.
Harvest by hand by giving the fruit a slight twist from the stem.
If it does not yield easily, the fruit isn’t mature.
6 Additional Tomatillo Growing Tips
A ripe tomatillo is firm and fills the outer husk.
Green varieties should be bright green and not yellow.
Purple varieties should be a deep purple.
A soft fruit with a fully-split husk means it is over-ripened.
Tomatillo plants drop fruit throughout the growing season, sometimes before it is ripe.
If the fruit is not fully mature, it will not have a good flavor.
