Wonder plant for the garden, the tomatillo is one of the best plants for attracting bees to your garden.

And we know the benefits of having bees in your garden. Without them you will get scarce or no produce. The bees are necessary for pollinating your vegetable plants. A bell pepper plant without bees to pollinate may produce one or two small peppers, due to wind pollination. But with bees, the same plant may produce a dozen peppers which tend to be larger. The Tomatillo plant will produce dozens of lovely, yellow blossoms that bees simple love. And, of course, once you get the bees in your garden they will also be attracted to the blossoms on your vegetable plants, thus guaranteeing pollination.

Most experienced gardeners go to great lengths to attract bees to their garden. Many surround their garden with flowers known to attract bees. However, in addition to attracting bees, the tomatillo will also provide fruit you can eat.

 

What Are Tomatillos?

Binomial name, Physalis philadelphica
The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk resembling little lanterns. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. The tomatillo flavor is tart with a slightly sweet overtone. Other parts of the tomatillo plant contain toxins, and should not be eaten.

 

 

Tips On Growing Tomatillos

Tomatillo plants require cross-pollination (two or more plants are needed for proper pollination). Isolated tomatillo plants rarely set fruits but they will still produce a wealth of blossoms, attracting bees if that is your goal.

 

Tomatillos are easy to grow in any moderate summer weather. Water as you would any other vegetable plants. Fertilize very lightly at the beginning of the growing season.

Fresh ripe tomatillos will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Remove the husks and place in sealed plastic bags in the refrigerator. They may also be frozen whole or sliced.

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