In article ,
says...
Bonnie Punch wrote:



Volunteer cape gooseberries saved my tomatillo crop last year. I didn't
know that tomatilloes were self-sterile; I thought they were fertile
like tomatoes. I only had 2 plants, raised from seeds harvested from the
same fruit. They bloomed for several weeks without setting any fruits,
and I was about to pull them up. Then the cape gooseberries that were
coming up everywhere started blooming, and the tomatilloes started to set.


Are tomatillos really self sterile? I didn't know that. I know that the
first few weeks I won't get fruit to set unless I get out there with a
brush and hand pollinate. That seems to work fine - a bit labour
intensive though. At some point bees and other flying insects always
discover them and I can stop hand pollinating. I had been planning on
not growing ground cherries this year because I'm almost out of
tomatillo seeds and wanted to save their seed this year and I didn't
want to risk it crossing with the ground cherries. Maybe I should
reconsider - DH would mutiny if I didn't make salsa verde!

BP


Yes, they are self sterile and you need at least 2 plants to get any fruit.
It was a surprise to me too. It's possible that my 2 plants that were
siblings were compatable and it just took them a month or so to get started
once they were blooming, but it was quite a coincidence that they started
bearing a few days after then ground cherries started blooming.

Well, that's probably why I could get fruit - I usually have at least
six tomatillo plants. When I hand pollinate I go from back and forth
from plant to plant assuming that pollen from multiple flowers/plants
is better. I never noticed if the bees show up at the same time as the
ground cherries start flowering, but after the bees arrive the
tomatillos are able to set fruit without my help. I'd always assumed
the bees were making the difference. I guess I should make a point of
noting the timing this year.


BTW, did the dried guajillo peppers I sent you a year or two ago ever get
there, or were they lost/confiscated in the mail?

I had forgotten about that! I never did get those peppers... They must
have been nabbed by customs. The decendents from the seeds you sent
happily produced tons of peppers. The first year I only had the one
plant, but I saved a bunch of seeds, and last year grew six (actually I
started way too many, so I gave a lot away). I've got the latest
generation of six sitting under the lights right now - 2 - 3" high.
Have you found the germination rate to be low for peppers? I'm finding
it has been about 20-30%. They're good producers, so it's not like I
have a shortage of seed, it just seems odd that I have a low germ rate.

They've become an essential ingredient in my salsa :-).

BP

In article ,
says...
Bonnie Punch wrote:



Volunteer cape gooseberries saved my tomatillo crop last year. I didn't
know that tomatilloes were self-sterile; I thought they were fertile
like tomatoes. I only had 2 plants, raised from seeds harvested from the
same fruit. They bloomed for several weeks without setting any fruits,
and I was about to pull them up. Then the cape gooseberries that were
coming up everywhere started blooming, and the tomatilloes started to set.


Are tomatillos really self sterile? I didn't know that. I know that the
first few weeks I won't get fruit to set unless I get out there with a
brush and hand pollinate. That seems to work fine - a bit labour
intensive though. At some point bees and other flying insects always
discover them and I can stop hand pollinating. I had been planning on
not growing ground cherries this year because I'm almost out of
tomatillo seeds and wanted to save their seed this year and I didn't
want to risk it crossing with the ground cherries. Maybe I should
reconsider - DH would mutiny if I didn't make salsa verde!

BP


Yes, they are self sterile and you need at least 2 plants to get any fruit.
It was a surprise to me too. It's possible that my 2 plants that were
siblings were compatable and it just took them a month or so to get started
once they were blooming, but it was quite a coincidence that they started
bearing a few days after then ground cherries started blooming.

Well, that's probably why I could get fruit - I usually have at least
six tomatillo plants. When I hand pollinate I go from back and forth
from plant to plant assuming that pollen from multiple flowers/plants
is better. I never noticed if the bees show up at the same time as the
ground cherries start flowering, but after the bees arrive the
tomatillos are able to set fruit without my help. I'd always assumed
the bees were making the difference. I guess I should make a point of
noting the timing this year.


BTW, did the dried guajillo peppers I sent you a year or two ago ever get
there, or were they lost/confiscated in the mail?

I had forgotten about that! I never did get those peppers... They must
have been nabbed by customs. The decendents from the seeds you sent
happily produced tons of peppers. The first year I only had the one
plant, but I saved a bunch of seeds, and last year grew six (actually I
started way too many, so I gave a lot away). I've got the latest
generation of six sitting under the lights right now - 2 - 3" high.
Have you found the germination rate to be low for peppers? I'm finding
it has been about 20-30%. They're good producers, so it's not like I
have a shortage of seed, it just seems odd that I have a low germ rate.

They've become an essential ingredient in my salsa :-).

BP

In article ,
says...
I'm sure the reference is to tomatillas, but there are also bush cherries (I
think they may sometimes be called Nanking cherries) that are used in cold
climates where regular cherries cannot be grown - such as the colder parts
of the upper midwest and great plains. I think they only grow to 8 feet tall
or less.

There is definatly a plant that is commonly referred to as "ground
cherries", sometimes also called "cape gooseberries", or Physallis.
They are closely related to tomatillos, but are sweeter, and smaller. A
completly different plant. I've never made them into a pie, but they do
make good jam :-). They are not real cherries, they are just similar in
size - they are ripe when they fall to the ground - hence the name
"ground cherry". In Quebec they're very common at the markets, but are
relativly unknown outside of the province. Many people erroneously
believe them to be poisonous.

BP

I think you might find the following link of interest regarding Physaliis
http://www.seedtosupper.com/tomatillos.html

The Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa) is a totaly different family.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk