Tomatillos or also known as Mexican husk are a variety of tomatoes that are found in Mexico. This plant is from the nightshade family that is known for bearing spherical fruits. These are small in size and usually have a green or greenish-purple shade on them. While they are native to Mexico, people will notice the vegetables being panted all over the world. This is because these are used in some common Mexican cuisines including sauces, salsa, and several others.
The vegetable can both be eaten raw or after being cooked and both of these methods give off different flavors. This can be amazing but there are also some questions that people ask when growing the vegetable. A common query is “Do tomatillos need cages?”. Hence, we will be using this article to provide you with relevant information regarding the question. Additionally, going through it should also help you in understanding how the vegetable can be kept protected.
Do Tomatillos Need Cages?
Tomatillos are plants that have invasive roots and branches on them. These can start crawling all around your garden if the growth is not kept in check. While this means that you will get vegetables all over the ground, there are also some issues that some people might have with this. The main reason for this is that users might be trying to grow other vegetables along with tomatillos in their garden. If the invasive roots start spreading, then these will get in the way of other plants in your ground.
This can be quite annoying as it causes problems for both the tomatillos as well as the vegetable that is getting in the way. The growth for both of these plants will stop and they can even eventually die. Keeping this in mind, one thing that you can do is use a cage and then keep your tomatillos inside it. The invasive branches and roots will then spread all around the cage, keeping your garden free to plant other vegetables in.
Considering this, you can note that cages are not necessarily required when growing these plants. Though, using them can help out people that have a smaller garden and want to plant several harvesting vegetables. While the support from your cage can prevent tomatillos from invading other plants, another thing should be noted. Using a smaller cage can also cause problems for this vegetable as the roots still require some room to spread.
This is why the best option that you can go with is using large tomato cages that can be transplanted deeper inside the soil. The cage will then provide your plants with enough space to spread their roots while also allowing them to have a support that they can grow. If done properly, then your tomatillos should stay in place and start blooming when they are in season. With that being said, another question that some people often ask is if only cages will work when growing the pant.
Answering this, you should note that even wooden stakes or trellises are viable options to keep the growth of tomatillos in check. The only thing that you need to do is provide the plant with an object that can be used as support. These can be fences or cages that will keep the roots trapped while also allowing the branches to spread all over them. As long as these are large enough to keep your plant growing and healthy, most problems should easily be avoided.
Keeping Tomatillos Healthy
Other than supporting your plant, there are several more things that people need to do if they want healthy tomatillos. The harvest will be best if you keep the vegetables under sunlight and in warmer temperatures. Hence, ensuring that you use a support that allows sunlight to seep through it can be important. If you are using a cage that blocks all the light, then this can also cause your tomatillos to start dying.
Moreover, another thing to keep in mind is that these vegetables can attract some insects to your garden. Most of these can be quite dangerous as they will infect the plant and take out all of its nutrients. This is why ensuring that you spray your vegetables with insecticides and fertilizers regularly can help you in keeping the insects away.