Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mexican Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Mexican Tomatillo, Tomatillo, Husk Tomato, Jamberry.

More about mexican tomatillo

About Mexican Tomatillo

Physalis ixocarpa · also called Mexican Tomatillo, Tomatillo · edible

Mexican Tomatillo is the culinary tomatillo of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, bearing tart, green-to-purple fruits inside papery husks. Grown as an annual in most temperate climates, it needs warm sun and two plants for cross-pollination. Fruits are harvested when the husk is fully filled and just splitting, used raw in salsa verde or cooked.

Cold limit: USDA 8–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–11) · RHS H2 (15 to 35 °C)

What mexican tomatillo's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for mexican tomatillo: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 8–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–11) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for mexican tomatillo as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can mexican tomatillo go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when mexican tomatillo can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline mexican tomatillo

Mexican Tomatillo is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Mexican Tomatillo hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mexican tomatillo cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for mexican tomatillo: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Mexican Tomatillo is grown 8–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–11); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature mexican tomatillo can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is mexican tomatillo?

Mexican Tomatillo is rated USDA 8–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–11) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can mexican tomatillo survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect mexican tomatillo from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.