This unusual deep purple tomatillo makes an ideal salsa with its sweet tart flavor. The plant has striking purple veins in the leaves, and the husks are light green to buff colored. Very decorative as a garnish. We’ve noticed that after harvest when husks are completely removed, the skin becomes more uniformly purple. It takes 70 days from seed to first harvest. It will continue till autumn.
See our recipe for Purple Tomatillo and Purple Cayenne Salsa.
Because this is a tropical plant (USDA Zone 10a-11), it will not last the winter in Sunnyvale (zone 9b). When the temperature drops below 40 degrees, the leaves die.
Details
Family: Solanaceae (so-lan-AY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Physalis (fy-SAL-is) (Info)
Species: ixocarpa (iks-so-KAR-puh) (Info)
Cultivar: Purple
Category: Vegetables, Tropicals and Tender Perennials
Height: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Spacing: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Danger: Unknown – Tell us
Bloom Color: Unknown – Tell us
Bloom Time: Unknown – Tell us
Foliage: Unknown – Tell us
Time from seed to harvest: 70 days; then indeterminate.
Soil pH requirements: Unknown – Tell us
Patent Information: Unknown – Tell us
Propagation Methods: From seed; sow indoors before last frost
Seed Collecting: Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65076/#ixzz3GhV811Eb
