Purple
Also known as: Purple de Milpa
What's special about Purple
Small purple-blushed fruits with a sweeter, more complex flavor than green types — good raw. Ornamental too.
Growing this variety
Purple follows the same growing basics as Tomatillo. Variety-specific maturity above; everything else below applies to the whole Tomatillo family.
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
Start indoors like tomatoes. Plant AT LEAST TWO — tomatillos are self-incompatible and need cross-pollination to fruit. Sprawling 3–4 ft plants; cage or stake. Fruits are ripe when they fill and split their papery husks.
Grower's tip
The green fruit of authentic salsa verde. Ripe yellow/purple types are sweeter and can be eaten fresh. Harvest before the husk fully browns.
Soil preferences
Deep, rich, well-drained soil with high organic matter.
6.0–6.8 for most; strawberries and blueberries prefer 4.5–6.0.
Compost annually; mulch with wood chips for perennial fruits.
Watering
1–2 in per week; deeper as plants establish.
Soak the root zone, not the foliage. Drip irrigation is ideal for long-lived plantings.
Overwatered: fruit split, root rot, mushy fallen fruit. Underwatered: shriveled berries, dropped flowers, sunscald.
Prefers top-watering — Top-water at the soil line with drip or soaker. Wet leaves spread early and late blight fast — never overhead in the evening.
Temperature tolerance
70–85°F (21–29°C)
55–70°F (13–21°C)
Tropical fruits (passionfruit, pepino, naranjilla) frost-tender. Temperate fruits (pomegranate, fig, sea buckthorn) tolerate hard freezes once established.
Container growing
Possible with the right cultivar
10+ gal (38 L) for tree fruit; 3–5 gal for berry canes; 12 in deep for strawberries
Choose dwarf or patio cultivars for containers; overwinter tender types indoors.
Succession planting
Perennials fruit on their own schedule — no succession. For annual fruiting (tomatillo, ground cherry, roselle) treat like a warm-season vegetable.
Detailed harvesting
Pick fully ripe — fruit sweetens on the plant, not the counter. Test with a gentle tug; ripe fruit releases easily.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Refrigerate soft fruit unwashed 3–7 days. Freeze on trays, then bag. Dehydrate slices at 135°F. Jam or preserve surplus.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh eating, jam, wine, syrup, drying. Use imperfect fruit for cooking; keep the best for the table.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Most perennial fruit are insect-pollinated and often not true-to-type from seed.
Named cultivars must be propagated by cutting, division, or graft to stay true.
Rinse seeds from ripe pulp; dry 1–2 weeks. Many need cold stratification before sowing.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for tomatillo in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
My Purple Tomatillo notes
Purple Tomatillo seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
From your kitchen — grow tomatillo from what you already have
Same technique as tomato — ferment out the pulp.
- 1Squish very ripe tomatillos into a jar with water; ferment 3–5 days until mold caps.
- 2Rinse in a sieve; sinkers are viable.
- 3Dry 1–2 weeks on a plate. Store in an envelope.
- 4Sow indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost.
Storage: 5 years dry.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
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