Quick Navigation
Main Navigation
About Us
Education & Events
Ways to Give & Membership
Preservation
Shop
memorise
Pollination
One of the most basic construct of seed saving is that to ensure a variety remains unfeigned , two varieties of the same species must be isolated from one another . The proper isolation distance look upon how the crop pollinates .
crossbreeding - pollination appears when pollen is delivered to a bloom from a different plant of the same mintage . ego - pollenation takes place when pollen from a prime pollinates itself or other blossom on the same flora .
Misunderstanding Tomatillos
One crop that is consistently misunderstood among seed savers is tomatillos . Tomatillos are outcrossers , intend their flowers thwartwise - pollinate and are incapable of self - pollination .
For example , one name member in the 2013 Seed Savers ExchangeYearbookprovides this description of ‘ Cisineros ’ tomatillo : “ These were develop next to the 2 other miscellany I ’m listing – Everona and Giant Yellow . Tomatillos are considered self - pollinate and inbreeding . ”
This is not an isolated case .
Tomatillo flower
A fast Google search on come - keep open instruction render interchangeable misinformation regarding tomatillos . A publication from the University of Georgia entitled Specific Seed Saving Instructions for Common Vegetables body politic , “ Tomatillos are ego - pollinating and do not commonly transversal . ”
Even Suzanne Ashworth’sSeed to Seedconsidered the authoritative guide to semen saving for many years , states , “ All of the species of Physalis are inbreeding plants and have flower that are utter and ego - pollinating . ”
Tomatillos Must Cross Pollinate
Unfortunately , this misinformation has resulted in many cross - pollinated tomatillo multifariousness , which we have encountered when we farm tomatillo for evaluation here at Heritage Farm .
In 2014 , we conducted an experimentation where we bulge the blossoms of tomatillos to see if they could ego - pollinate . We discovered that tomatillo are , in fact , ego - incompatible , meaning that their bloom can not ego - pollinate . In other words , tomatillos must cross - pollinate in club to coiffe yield , and they rely on insects to do so .
The most recent information on proper purple ground cherry isolation distances reflects this realism . In Seed Savers Exchange ’s 2015 issue , The Seed Garden , the recommendations for distance isolation are 800 feet to half a Roman mile . And if genetic preservation of a variety is the goal , “ the isolation aloofness should be increase to 1 - 2 miles . ” This is a significant departure from most seed - saving resources on tomatillos !
Tomatillo flower
So , if you have a favorite tomatillo variety for turning into salsa verde and require to save seeds , make certain you give it mess of space from other varieties !
Originally post October 26 , 2015 . cut January 23 , 2025 .
When you make a leverage from Seed Savers Exchange , you assist fulfill our non-profit-making deputation to protect our food for thought and garden inheritance . Do even more good by making a donation to help us preserve and portion out even more heirloom potpourri !
Husked tomatillos
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
Copyright © 2025 Seed Savers Exchange . Images on this web site are protect by right of first publication — unauthorised usance is not permitted .
Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the saving of heirloom seeds .
Bagging tomatillo flowers
