Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry)

Durgan · April 18, 2013

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IUMLB 18 April 2013 Hardening Off Physalis peruviana (Ground Cherry). The process of hardening off my five Cape Gooseberry plants has begun. The plants are growing well.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFMJB 4 March 2013 Potting up.Physalis peruviana The five plants were moved to larger pots. This is probably the last move until planted outside at the end of May depending upon the growth.The plants will be kept in the greenhouse until planted out.Pictures depict the method.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RWFYX 25 February 2013 Physalis peruviana
Photos indicating growth after 39 days. The plants are healthy and strong.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?HOAEC 2 February 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants growing well.
Five plants are thriving. When it warms up they will be placed in the outdoor greenhouse.The bags tend to keep the moisture level high. At this stage watering is done to achieve bottom watering by placing the pots in a container of water as required.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XOYYZ 16 January 2013 Physalis peruviana
Required are five or six plants. Germination is slow and erratic judging from past experience in my zone 5. These plants are slow growing and require a long season. They will be planted outdoors about the end of May. Of all the ground cherries, this has the largest fruit and the bushes are more upright, also the fruit tends to stay on the bush until picked. These plants were started on 27 December 2012, and about 30% of the seeds were viable.

HiPoha · April 18, 2013

Those plants need pampering till they get large enough. Watch out for slugs and snails, they love to eat the young plants. I had to put copper barriers around the base of my ground cherry plants and also beer traps to kill the slugs. Maybe it would be best to grow them in containers. Roots are shallow, so 5 gallon pots should be OK.

Rideau Rambler · April 20, 2013

I planted my Cape Gooseberries (thanks Scott in At for the seeds) on Feb 11th. I'm in zone 4B, do you think I will get any fruit before the season ends? Seeing as Durgan planted his in December. (duly noted for next year, assuming I can save the first fruits seeds). Anyone?

HiPoha · April 20, 2013

Rambler, I think right now is the perfect time to plant seeds and be able to harvest about four months from now. The young plants are very delicate and will need protection from the bugs and weather for them to succeed.
I use the planter with a plastic bag as shown in the photo to help my plants through the young stage. When the plants get about a foot high, you can start tearing the plastic a little at a time to acclimate the plants to full sun. If the sun is too strong when it gets into the hot summer, you can hang strips of cloth on the cage for shading.

Durgan · April 20, 2013

I grow a few plants most years.

One year about five years ago I had a superb crop from about three plants. This was the Physalis pruinosa ( Aunt Molly Ground Cherry). Since then production has been poor. My zone 5 is probably marginal for growing them.

This year the plants are Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). The plants are taller and the fruit tends to stay on the plant instead of dropping when ripe. The fruit is also larger by about a third. I purposely started the plants early, since germination can be slow and erratic. My five plants are doing just fine. Also hardening off is very important, since the leaves are large and they can burn easily.

Both types are very slow growing, particularly when small. Also I found don't over water. You must guess a bit.

Actually, I don't still know what is a good weather year for them. I do know they can take no frost and do not ripen after separating from the vine. If I don't get a good harvest this year, I will not grow them again. Zone 4 may be marginal, but worth a try.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TJNHI 30 September 2012 Aunt Molly Ground Cherry. (Physalis pruninosa).
The fruit was harvested. These plants are prolific producers. The fruit has a most pleasant flavour and almost taste like peaches when cooked slightly in their own juices.They make a nice snack raw. The berries must be a yellow colour without any shading of green. The green colour is indicative of solanine, which should not be ingested in large quantiles.The berries do not ripen after falling off the plants. Some years all are ripe, but this year there are a fair number of green berries. Poor quality berries appear in the Supermarkets in the Winter months, imported from Chile and each berry costs about 10 cents each. Many of the berries are green and should not be ingested.

Durgan · May 16, 2013

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCIXX 16 May 2013 Physalis peruviana Planted outdoors
Five Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants were placed outdoors. The planting area was mulched and a stake supplied for some support. Some plants are in blossom. Fibre glass screens were made to collect the fruit when it falls off the plants.

ScottinAtlanta · May 17, 2013

I got good germination and vigorous seedlings from the seeds I bought in Ireland last April, and distributed here. I have three of them in the garden - who needs more than that - but one of them disappeared.

Thanks, Rideau, for the feedback on those seeds.

Rideau Rambler · May 19, 2013

All five seeds are up and about two feet tall and are gorgeous/strong stemmed, this despite being in my care. They are hardening off now and should be in the ground in a few more days, three in my garden, two in a friends - we're having a grow-off, lol.

April 18, 2013	#1
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IUMLB 18 April 2013 Hardening Off Physalis peruviana (Ground Cherry). The process of hardening off my five Cape Gooseberry plants has begun. The plants are growing well. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFMJB 4 March 2013 Potting up.Physalis peruviana The five plants were moved to larger pots. This is probably the last move until planted outside at the end of May depending upon the growth.The plants will be kept in the greenhouse until planted out.Pictures depict the method. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RWFYX 25 February 2013 Physalis peruviana Photos indicating growth after 39 days. The plants are healthy and strong. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?HOAEC 2 February 2013 Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants growing well. Five plants are thriving. When it warms up they will be placed in the outdoor greenhouse.The bags tend to keep the moisture level high. At this stage watering is done to achieve bottom watering by placing the pots in a container of water as required. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XOYYZ 16 January 2013 Physalis peruviana Required are five or six plants. Germination is slow and erratic judging from past experience in my zone 5. These plants are slow growing and require a long season. They will be planted outdoors about the end of May. Of all the ground cherries, this has the largest fruit and the bushes are more upright, also the fruit tends to stay on the bush until picked. These plants were started on 27 December 2012, and about 30% of the seeds were viable.

April 18, 2013	#2
HiPoha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Hawaii Posts: 130	Those plants need pampering till they get large enough. Watch out for slugs and snails, they love to eat the young plants. I had to put copper barriers around the base of my ground cherry plants and also beer traps to kill the slugs. Maybe it would be best to grow them in containers. Roots are shallow, so 5 gallon pots should be OK. Last edited by HiPoha; April 18, 2013 at 01:58 PM.

April 20, 2013	#5
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	I grow a few plants most years. One year about five years ago I had a superb crop from about three plants. This was the Physalis pruinosa ( Aunt Molly Ground Cherry). Since then production has been poor. My zone 5 is probably marginal for growing them. This year the plants are Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). The plants are taller and the fruit tends to stay on the plant instead of dropping when ripe. The fruit is also larger by about a third. I purposely started the plants early, since germination can be slow and erratic. My five plants are doing just fine. Also hardening off is very important, since the leaves are large and they can burn easily. Both types are very slow growing, particularly when small. Also I found don't over water. You must guess a bit. Actually, I don't still know what is a good weather year for them. I do know they can take no frost and do not ripen after separating from the vine. If I don't get a good harvest this year, I will not grow them again. Zone 4 may be marginal, but worth a try. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TJNHI 30 September 2012 Aunt Molly Ground Cherry. (Physalis pruninosa). The fruit was harvested. These plants are prolific producers. The fruit has a most pleasant flavour and almost taste like peaches when cooked slightly in their own juices.They make a nice snack raw. The berries must be a yellow colour without any shading of green. The green colour is indicative of solanine, which should not be ingested in large quantiles.The berries do not ripen after falling off the plants. Some years all are ripe, but this year there are a fair number of green berries. Poor quality berries appear in the Supermarkets in the Winter months, imported from Chile and each berry costs about 10 cents each. Many of the berries are green and should not be ingested. Last edited by Durgan; April 20, 2013 at 06:41 PM.

April 20, 2013	#3
Rideau Rambler Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 69	I planted my Cape Gooseberries (thanks Scott in At for the seeds) on Feb 11th. I'm in zone 4B, do you think I will get any fruit before the season ends? Seeing as Durgan planted his in December. (duly noted for next year, assuming I can save the first fruits seeds). Anyone?

May 16, 2013	#6
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCIXX 16 May 2013 Physalis peruviana Planted outdoors Five Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry) plants were placed outdoors. The planting area was mulched and a stake supplied for some support. Some plants are in blossom. Fibre glass screens were made to collect the fruit when it falls off the plants.

May 17, 2013	#7
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I got good germination and vigorous seedlings from the seeds I bought in Ireland last April, and distributed here. I have three of them in the garden - who needs more than that - but one of them disappeared. Thanks, Rideau, for the feedback on those seeds.

May 19, 2013	#8
Rideau Rambler Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 69	All five seeds are up and about two feet tall and are gorgeous/strong stemmed, this despite being in my care. They are hardening off now and should be in the ground in a few more days, three in my garden, two in a friends - we're having a grow-off, lol.