Category: leaf-footed bug

The Totally Tasty Tomatillo

On By durhammastergardenersIn leaf-footed bug, tomatillo, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening

By Summer Gates NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer intern of Durham County

A basket filled with ripe tomatillos, showcasing their green fruits partially covered by pale husks.
Close-up of young tomatillos developing in their husks on a green plant.

Left: Ripe Tomatillos ready to be roasted. Right: Young fruit developing in their husk. (Image credit: Summer Gates)

Physalis philadelphica, commonly known as tomatillo, has been a staple in my garden for the last eight years—I simply can’t live without it, now that I know how to prepare it, of course! Like many of you, while perusing seed websites in January and dreaming of getting my hands in the soil, I got a little “clicky clicky” while placing an order. I ended up buying these beautiful fruits sold as “Mexican tomatoes.” I said to myself, Self, we love tomatoes. We should try these. Into my shopping cart they went, and when they arrived 10 days later, I squealed with delight. I couldn’t wait to try them!

I sowed extra seeds to ensure I wouldn’t miss out on any of their potential. Eight plants later, taking up an extra-large portion of my garden, they came to bloom and set fruit. After waiting patiently for the tomatillos to ripen, the moment finally arrived. With a little dance, I bit into the fruit. And—uh oh. This was not the flavor profile I was expecting. It was tart, bitter, and most assuredly not a tomato. Now, with a significant portion of my garden dedicated to this fruit, I had to figure out what to do next.

I turned to the internet for answers! Many recipes suggested cooking and browning halved fruits in a pan. Lo and behold, the resulting flavor was nothing short of magical. The heat brings out their natural sugars and reduces the tartness, transforming them into roasted goodness on a plate. Grilled with a pinch of salt, tomatillos make a perfect side dish for grilled chicken during a patio dinner. I also make tomatillo and pineapple salsa, which never fails to elicit an enthusiastic, “Oh my gosh, this is so good,” whenever it’s served at a gathering.

Key Things to Know About Growing Tomatillos

  • Space and Size: Tomatillos grow large, almost shrub-like, reaching 4’ x 4’. Plant them with plenty of room. One or two plants will supply you with enough fruit all summer long.
  • Support: Provide structural support, such as tomato cages, and train the lower stems through the supports.
  • Husked Fruits: The fruit develops inside a husk. When the husk begins to dry out or the fruit breaks through, it’s ready to harvest and should come away with little effort
  • Watering: Avoid overwatering to prevent cracking. If fruits crack, harvest them promptly.
  • Pests: Leaf-footed bugs and tomato hornworms are common pests. I use a sticky lint roller to remove leaf-footed bug nymphs and eggs (a trick that works for stink bugs too!). For hornworms, I plant marigolds and basil near the tomatillos—it seems to help, at least in my garden.
  • Residue: The fruit’s surface has a sticky, waxy residue. Wash thoroughly, as this coating can make the fruit bitter.
  • Self-Seeding: Tomatillos readily self-seed if fallen fruits are not removed, ensuring a steady supply for future gardens.
  • Varieties: Tomatillos come in green, yellow, and purple varieties. Green and yellow fruits are best for recipes like salsa, as the purple color may bleed into dishes.

For my favorite tomatillo and pineapple salsa recipe, check out the one featured in The New York Times. It’s always a hit at gatherings!

And if you’re as enterprising as my friend Elizabeth Palmer, you can even transform the husks into stunning prints—each one beautifully unique!

Artistic representation of tomatillo husks printed in yellow against a black background.
Artwork featuring the delicate impression of tomatillo husks in a gold and white design.

Resources and Additional Information

Identifying and Controlling Leaf-footed Bugs in Your Garden

On By durhammastergardenersIn beneficial insects, Durham NC, eastern leaf-footed bug, edibles, Garden pests, gardening, Gardening information, gardening NC, growing tomatoes, insects, leaf-footed bug, pesticides, tomatoes, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening

By Michelle Wallace, former Durham County NC Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent

By far our most popular post of all time, this article, originally titled “What’s That Bug? Leaf-footed Bugs in the Garden,” first appeared on our blog in June 2015. With veggie season in full swing, it’s just the right time to revisit this piece on a common pest. Plus we’ve updated it with new photos and resources.

(Left to right) Detail of leaf-footed bug eggs on the underside of a tomato plant. They are cylindrical, laid in a single row, and typically hatch in 5-7 days. Leaf-footed bug nymphs often cluster together. (Image credit: Debbie Roos, NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center; Texas Master Gardeners, Galveston County)

I work in a garden with a group of volunteers. The other day, a sharp-eyed person pointed out some bright orange-red bugs like these on the leaves of one of our potato plants.

Identifying Leaf-footed Bugs

These are the nymphs of the leaf-footed bug, a relative of stink bugs. Adult leaf-footed bugs are brown, with a flattened, leaf-shaped area on their hind legs. Both the nymphs and adults are pests that damage buds, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Leaf-footed bugs feed on many plants, including tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, beans, okra, and pecans. When these bugs feed on tomato fruit, they cause yellow, hardened spots to develop. Feeding on other fruits can cause brown spots to shriveled, misshapen fruits, depending on the number of bugs and the time the fruits are damaged.

Stippling and yellow spots on the tomato caused by piercing and sucking mouthparts of both stinkbugs and leaf-footed bugs. The crack in the tomato is most likely due to inconsistent moisture, not insect damage. (Image credit: University of Georgia Cooperative Extension)

Adult leaf-footed bugs overwinter in weedy areas or under mulch and debris. They lay eggs in a row on the undersides of leaves or on stems. Eggs hatch in 5-7 days, and nymphs mature in 25-30 days.

Leaf footed bug adult Photo: Debbie Roos, NC Cooperative Extension


Adult leaf-footed bug. There are 7 known species of leaf-footed bugs in the southeastern US. Identification tip: One species common in our region, the eastern leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus), is chestnut brown in color and has a distinctive horizontal white stripe on its back. (Image credit: Debbie Roos, NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center)

Controlling Leaf-footed Bugs

Leaf-footed bugs and their stinkbug relatives are difficult to control, but scouting for these pests now will help keep populations from building up throughout the season. Removing the nymphs and adults by hand and dropping them into a container of soapy water is an effective means of control when populations are small. You may want to wear gloves when picking leaf-footed bugs from your plants – they do have an unpleasant smell. There are few organic pesticides that are effective on these bugs, but hand picking now and reducing places where the adults can overwinter will help keep next year’s population in check. If you choose to use an insecticide to control a large population of leaf-footed bugs, pyrethroids can be used carefully and as directed.1

Just a quick word of caution, though – some assassin bugs (they are beneficial insects) are also orange and can look similar to the leaf-footed bug nymphs shown above. For photos of assassin bugs, see the University of Kentucky Entomology website.2

Notes

1–Leaf-footed bugs are also susceptible to insecticidal soaps. According to NC State’s Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, pyrethroid pesticides labeled for use by homeowners are also toxic to fish, so avoid using around pools, ponds, and streams. Pyrethroids are also toxic to beneficial insects like bees.

2–Consider a biological control method. Beneficial insects that are natural predators of leaf-footed bugs include look-alike assassin bugs, tachinid flies, native parasitic wasps, and spiders. Birds also prey on leaf-footed bugs. Making your garden attractive to beneficials may help curb unwanted pest populations.

Resources and Additional Information

NC Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Factsheet on the eastern leaf-footed bug

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/eastern-leaf-footed-bug

Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Factsheet on attracting beneficial insects to your landscape

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/incorporating-beneficials-into-the-gardeners-toolkit/

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