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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Growing Tomatillos- FAIL

OK, boys and girls, it’s time once again for another helpful Don’t Do What Donnie Don’t Does. Garden version this time.

Don’t plant only one tomatillo plant in your garden. Because apparently, they tend to need at least one other friend to cross-fertilize with. I say ‘tend to’ because it isn’t always the case. According to this, sometimes a plant will have the right genes for self-fertilization, in which case you’ll be fine with just one plant. Some of the time, though, it won't have the right genes and you will therefore need two of them.

What you’ll end up with, if you are unlucky enough to get the kind that does need a friend to pollinate it, is a ton of empty little lanterns, but no fruit. Which is exactly what we have.

P9030016

Sad.

But at least now we know for next year.

What I'm trying to figure out now, in order to make the most out of this crap situation, is how to string these puppies onto lights or some other equally ridiculous use of my time.

9 comments:

  1. How cute are those! So, what, they're like just filled with air?

    I've been waiting for you to show us your garden and produce - mary, mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Our peppers all did very well, but the tomatoes had some kind of blight so we only got a few edible ones. (I was pulling up one plant that was covered with squishy rotten tomatoes, and they splattered all over me - yuck!)

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  2. I have at least one of those valuable lessons in every gardening year!

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  3. I was thinking the same thing about the "lanterns". There must be SOME way to make something out of them. Can you dry them and use them for something?

    At least you have something green and growing in your garden! I have a pitiful little patio with no dirt in sight, except what blows in from the street...8-(

    Linda

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  4. Linda (Wander to the Wayside), yep they're like little balloons. And my garden is crap this year. I'm thinking of doing some raised beds this fall. We'll see, though.

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  5. I'm thinking we used to pull the empties off and hold it in one hand. Then make a fist with the other hand. Then...(this is the exciting part) we would smash the empty on the back of the 'fisted' hand. Made a huge pop sound and lots of laughs.

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  6. We're thinking about raised beds, too. You've been here, you know how our pasture grass is like, that there's no way to make any worthwhile garden in it without hours upon hours of toil and hard labor. We did huge pots last year but only the peppers thrived. This year I put the peppers and tomatoes in the flower beds out front, but like I said the tomatoes failed. Raised beds just sounds like it would be less labor intensive and healthier soil. Well, we have another eight months to think about it!

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  7. I did NOT know that! And it's good of you to mention it here because I've thought of adding tomatillos to my garden next year. I will be sure to go with at least two plants if I do so.

    Could you slip those little lanterns over the bulbs of white holiday lights?

    Worst case, I bet they compost nicely.

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  8. Hey, this is fun, I'm adding a follow-up comment to my entry from last year - I went out and bought my second tomatillo plant this weekend to go with the single one I planted when I apparently forgot that you'd told me I needed two.

    Does that make any sense?

    Anyway, all's that's important is that I have two tomatillo plants and let's hope they produce a LOT of tomatillos because yo quiero salsa verde.

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