Woohoo. just noticed this today. My first Tomatillo. this is my second year growing tomatillos. Last year I picked up some on a lark. What the hell I could give it a go.
Wanting to impress my tomatillos with my garden prowess I gave them the best potting soil in 3 big clay pots. My first mistake was putting them in pots. I don't know why but I kill everything in a pot. Container gardening is truly not for me.
As I watched them languish I became stumped. I treated them like princesses.Gave them the best soil, plenty of water and almost started singing to them. Finally I went to the Internet. Don't ask me why I did not research them in the first place but I figured tomatoes , tomatillos what's the difference. Alot.
Come to find out tomatillos are to be treated like the red headed stepchild of the garden. They love bad soil and low water. So I pulled them out of the pots and stuck them against the back fence. Worst spot in the garden. They loved it. They become my favorite garden munchie. Never got enough to cook anything as I moved them very late in the season.
This year I got 12 plants. They are thriving in the bad back corner. I didn't even notice the first fruit as I am ignoring them. I did notice the holes in the leaves though. As I prefer to semi-organic garden pesticides are not used. Usually the plants outgrow the bugs and its no problem. I'm sure this is earwigs.
As I mulch garden I have lots and lots of earwigs. Usually the chickens take care of most of them but as I am down to 2 it is becoming an issue. I may just need to set some traps tonight. Updates to come tomorrow.
Hi. I have noticed that earwigs seem to munch on the lanterns but then die. I'm wondering if the resin around the fruit is killing them. However I have found that woodlice, millipedes and slugs will happily feast on the fruit. But the yield is large enough that I can afford to lose a few.
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