As far as I know from experience, it takes quite awhile for the tomatillos to ripen. I don't know about the little buds you are getting but when I grew tomatillos 2 years ago, they went all over the place and it took forever to harvest. Just watch the shape and color of the fruit. It changed as it gets older. Also I feel inside the husk as it grows. When it feels like it is quite large then I harvest them. RisaG (hoping for another good plant this summer) P.S. I made a major typo when I asked about my tomatillo plant the other day. It does not take months to germinate. I don't know what I was on when I typed that question. Sorry for those who thought it took me ages to germinate. It does take awhile but not months.