sunnibel,

I would think that tomatillos, being native to Mexico, wouldn't be not setting because of the heat. I tried my first hand at growing tomatillos last year, and they were much like my roma and cherry tomato plants: continually ripening fruits as opposed to waiting for one big set. One thing that I did do when I bought the plants is to go online and learn all I could, and I found a number of posts that said they need to be planted in at least a pair for the fruits to set. I was glad that I had purchased a pair of them, and proceeded to make what my husband now claims is his all-time favorite salsa from about mid-July on until our first frost--are you planting a single plant? I also read several gardeners who had no problem getting fruit to set with one plant (and then the funny comments that maybe there was another tomatillo plant on the bee's morning commute), but I don't recall reading any discussion about fruit setting all at once.

I did have the plants in a semi-protected area--we get a lot of wind here, and they didn't get any sun until about 1:00, when it then blasted on them pretty much until the end of the day. They got what I would describe as "leggy" since they were pushing 6 feet tall, however, I think that there were several "plants" in one pot, so maybe it was competition that made them grow up more than bushing out. One thing I did notice was that flowers would drop like flies when I was putting a tomato cage around them--be sure to have any cage in place before they plants need to be trained into it, or you will lose any possible fruit from those blossoms. Wish I had more experience with these, and I hope the seed that I saved and have sprouted will return viable plants for me so that I CAN have some more experience!

Good luck, and I look forward to reading posts from other GW members. As far as ground cherries go, I have no idea, and was wondering some of that myself!

Well, I had several plants each year- the first year because I was enthusiastic, the second year because of volunteers popping up! That should bode well for your saved seed, then. :)

I guess maybe my story was a little unclear, too. They don't set fruit all at once, they just flower for a month before any fruit set at all. Once they start, they keep producing until the first frost. I did see one post while I was searching, where a member named Chervil2 mentioned something that seemed similar, but it was just in passing.

Oh, and mine seem to keep a low, sprawling habit- no 6 footers here! And the big bees seem to love their flowers and visit them reliably as soon as they start blooming.

Thanks!

Sunni

Okay, so I've been poking around other parts of the web and found one site for California growers that states that tomatillos will have "greatly reduced" fruit set when temperatures are 85 and above. So it sounds like it IS a temperature thing!

Still no info. on the ground cherries, though. Hopefully some of the folks who have grown them before will weigh in on the subject (please, please!)...

Sunni

I bought a seed packet (From Territorial Seed Co.) that was labeled TOMATILLO in large print (at the top) I dutifully started the seeds inside and transplanted after danger and they grew into heathy viney plants. Flowered and set fruit and it was then I noticed the fruit was quite different from any Tomatillo I had grown or seen. I went back to the seed packet, and in much smaller print was written: Ground Cherry"

Well...I had never heard of "ground cherries" so I went online to research their uses and to our local growers markets to talk to lacals about their harvest.

My experience was...there was no problem setting fruit (zone 8)...harvest after fruit drop...plants love to sprawl...2-3 plants would be sufficient as I found their uses limited and their taste: Aquired!

I was at the nursury the other day, and noticed that Territorial is still packaging the ground cherries in the same confusing way. I wonder how many other customers wait for (real) Tomatillo's and find they are growing their diminutive cousins?

Hi sunnibel7,

Being related to tomatoes its probably a pollen problem in high heat. That is basically the issue with Tomatoes. If you could keep a few plants in part shade that might help.

Never had a problem with them producing in the heat down this way but they do seem to like an open area and produce large fruit. When I planted them near my garage in a shaded area the worms destroyed all the fruit.

Hooray! It's good to hear from everyone! :) Wally, when you say "them" do you mean ground cherries or tomatillos (or both?)...

Solanacea (nice name), thanks, I knew about tomatoes, but not that the issue was pollen. I have lots of (tiny) seeds, so I can try one in a shady area.

Lonmower: that is indeed confusing! And disappointing! Too bad they weren't to your taste!

As for cross-pollenating with tomatoes, I tend to think that's not a problem (a) since they are two totally different species (the definition of a species being a group of organisms that are able to sexually reproduce viable (sexually again) off-spring...) and (b)it would only affect things if you were trying to save seed.

Cheers!

Sunni

Last year was the first time I've grown tomatillos, but mine did the same thing. It took a long time for them to start setting fruit and then there were a ton of laterns almost overnight.

I remember asking about it on here and I had other people chime in that the same thing had happened to them and speculating about it being a length of daylight thing. Who knows?

I'm trying ground cherries this year as well. We have such a short growing season that I'm just going to plant them out as early as possible again... you know, like in June.