Litchi tomato does surprisingly well even here, although it could do even better if I had another month. I grow "Morelle de Balbis", which was sent to me from Will Weaver in 2006. It is very free flowering & attractive in bloom, and it blooms non-stop until frost. The foliage is pretty too, it would be a good ornamental if it wasn't for the thorns.
This is a highly vigorous, indeterminate plant. Left to its own devices, it will sprawl across the ground 4-5 feet in all directions, and would be a navigation hazard. Even here, the base of the stem will be about 1"-1.5" wide when killed by frost; so where it might survive the winter, heed Janezee's warning. It is best to train it upward, so you can reach underneath and have at least
some hope of harvesting without injury. DO NOT plant this where young children might have access to it.
Don't plant it next to a path, either... unless you have neighbors who like to steal your veggies in the dark.
When the fruit is ripe, the thorny calyx will peel back. Some of mine separate very easily at this point, others still require a good pull. For harvest, gloves (preferably with gauntlets) and long sleeves are recommended. The spines are plentiful & very sharp. The skin of the ripe fruit has the same "tacky" feel as a ripe cherry, and the predominant flavor is cherry-like, with hints of other flavors. Usually mine have hints of gooseberry, but I had some last year that were peach-like. I wanted to save seed from that plant, but left the berries in a bucket outside, and it was destroyed by rain.
The fruit seems to have its best flavor in the cool(er) days of late Summer. Usually the wife & I just eat them fresh, since I can't quite get enough to process in my short season. But I did add them to apples I was cooking up for jelly, and it added a wonderful flavor to the jelly. Disappointingly little of the red color transferred to the jelly, though.
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CAN BECOME WEEDY IN CLIMATES TO ITS LIKING.
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Since it volunteers here freely, I'd say it must like any climate where it can grow to maturity from seed - and if it self-seeds here, it will probably do so in most of temperate North America. I don't have to plant it, just move the volunteers to where I want them; but I'll get more fruit with transplants. I was concerned that birds might spread the seed, but they don't seem to be interested in the berries.
One other observation. Litchi tomato seems to be a good trap crop for Colorado Potato Beetle. They bypass my eggplant & attack the Litchi tomato. In the open foliage, the larvae are easily found, and I dispatch them with soap spray. The plant is too rampant to be damaged by them anyway.