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!

Under ideal conditions, ground cherries drop when ripe, and those are the ones which are eaten. They should never be picked off the plant. If ground cherries fall from the plant prematurely (the green ones) they will not ripen further with time... green ones stay green. Premature drops can be caused by dry soil, rough handling, strong winds, or heavy rainfall. A couple days of strong thunderstorms knocked many of mine down this week. Green ground cherries should not be eaten. They won't kill you, but will likely cause upset stomach if you eat too many. I've eaten a few half-ripe ground cherries mixed with ripe ones, and had no ill effects. Its worth mentioning that while the green ones should not be eaten, the seed within is mature. If the green ones are thrown on the ground, many seeds will germinate the following Spring... maybe even hundreds. That's why I never have to plant them. ;-) ....(The same can be said of tomatillos.) Other than cutting off a branch that was in the way, I've never trimmed ground cherries; but I don't see why not, as long as it is less than 1/2 of the plant.

I have two great recipes for Tomatillo Salsa Verde. TOMATILLO VERDE SALSA 1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos 1/2 cup chopped white onion 1/2 cup cilantro leaves 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice 1/4 teaspoon sugar 2 Jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped Salt to taste 1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. 2 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, Jalapeno peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator. Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes. Makes 3 cups. TOMATILLO SALSA 1 lb fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped 1 fresh Serrano chile, seeded (for less spiciness) and finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon salt Stir together all ingredients and let stand, covered, about 1 hour. Cooks note: Salsa can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 3 cups. Another good tomatillo salsa recipe is found at All Recipes.com. Just copy and paste the following URL into the address field at the top of your screen. http://appetizer.allrecipes.com/az/SlsDTmtill.asp

Installers say look up the Direct TV site - a ground is a ground is a ground, they say.