DIY Network

Harvesting Hints Harvesting Hints From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-212

About a month after planting his crops, Joe returns to the garden to check on the Malabar spinach and the tomatillos. He trims the plants and looks for pests while explaining the different stages of growth for tomatillos. Then he harvests the Malabar spinach and the tomatillos and explains how to store them until you're ready to eat them.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Malabar spinach grows so quickly that it seems to multiply overnight. Because you eat the leaves and the stems, Malabar spinach can be harvested as soon as the main stem is growing well. A vining plant like this can be pruned easily if it gets too big, and it will fill back out again in a few weeks. Harvest the spinach when you're ready to use it: it will wilt and lose some of its color and flavor if stored more than a day or two. Snip the leaves and soft stems with a sharp pair of scissors for best results (figure A).

Luckily, Malabar spinach doesn't have too many pests or diseases. Insects such as stink bugs and aphids may try out this plant, but the vine grows so quickly they rarely make much of a dent in it.

The most common disease problem may be mildew that can take hold in the tangle of vines. Keeping the plant trellised and pruned (figure B) will make this less likely. Malabar spinach is very hardy and easy to grow: this healthy vine can grow in almost any garden where you have hot, sunny summer weather.

Just like tomato plants, tomatillos produce a lot of fruit, and the stems need to be tied up to keep the plant from breaking under the weight. You can use string to tie up the plants (figure C), as it's easy to use and soft and flexible enough that it won't damage the plants.

This photo shows the growth stages of the tomatillo: flower and husk.

Tomatillos have several growth stages:

• The first stage is a flower.

• Then a bell-shaped green husk forms. The fruit inside the husk is initially very small, like a tiny marble, so it's essentially an almost-empty balloon.

• As the fruit inside gets larger, it finally reaches the lining of the husk and splits it open as it outgrows it.

When plants are in high production mode and growing very quickly, they take the nutrients out of the soil just as fast. A midseason dose of granular fertilizer, in addition to regular applications of liquid fertilizer, will make the plants stronger and healthier. Be sure when you sprinkle fertilizer pellets that they don't land on the leaves: the pellets will make burn holes wherever the touch.

	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

Worms can wreak havoc on even the healthiest plants. Armyworms and corn earworms can bore into a tomatillo husk and eat the fruit inside, leaving nothing behind. Bt, or Bacillus thiringiensis, can be applied on the tomatillo plants to control the worms (figure D).

One problem that is more common to tomatillos than to tomatoes is rot. They can suffer when the ground around them is too heavy or too wet for a long period of time. Watering deeply and less frequently can decrease the chances of rot, giving them stems a chance to dry out. Also keep an eye out for fungus and bacteria, both of these make they plants turn dark and wilt or shrivel.

8. You can tell when a tomatillo is ripe because the husk goes from green (figure E) to tan and it starts splitting (figure F). To pick a ripe tomatillo, firmly grasp the fruit from below. Gently lift the fruit up and away from the stem. It should snap off the plant easily if it is ripe. Tomatillos can be stored for up to 30 days in a cool dark place if they are harvested before the husks crack. In the refrigerator they will only last 5-10 days.

9. Tomatillos take about the same amount of work to grow as tomatoes. Growing most of these varieties were new to Joe, and it was great to get good results the first time. Maybe this will encourage you to try your hand at grow tomatillos as well.