Growing Cape Gooseberry, also Golden Berry, Inca Berry

Physalis peruviana : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
              S S S S S
                T T T T
              P P P P P

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 100 - 150 cm apart
  • Harvest in 14-16 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Will happily grow in a flower border but tends to sprawl over other plants.

Your comments and tips

02 Nov 16, Mary Anne (Canada - Zone 5b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Hello Claire, If you find out where to get goldenberry (also known as cape gooseberry), would you please let me know? I'd love some seeds! Thank you, Mary Anne
25 Sep 16, Kay (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I'm in Tassie and have cape gooseberries both in my greenhouse and the garden. Our possums love them but they have to beat our grandchildren to them. I encouage the kids because they are so full of vitamins and help keep the colds away. They pop up in the blue metal in our driveway all the time as well although I do find they are difficult to move successfully. I'm yet to make jam - too many possums/grandchildren.
24 Sep 16, Fiona Waddell (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I ve just discovered we have a cape gooseberry plant growing behind our shed... it has randomly appeared and is almost a metre high. None of the fruit have grown any bigger than a $2 coin and havent ripened. It is currently in the ground but I was wandering if I should move it? To full sun or whether i should collect the dropped fruit for seeds?
22 Sep 16, sharyn (Australia - temperate climate)
i bought small plants very cheaply at caboolture sunday markets.
22 Sep 16, Mark (Canada - Zone 6b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I grew some Cape Gooseberry from seed I purchased from a store, and I am interested in saving my own seed for next spring. What is the best way to do that? Thank you, Mark Gregson
19 Sep 16, Leonie (Australia - tropical climate)
We have trouble with beetles (similar to lady birds) eating the leaves of our gooseberry bushes. They can strip all the leaves overnight. I thought I maybe be able to put an old mosquito net over the plant to protect them from the beetles but am concerned about the flowers pollinating. Do you have any suggestions.
01 Sep 16, Suzanne (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Phil, I have the same problem, Ive been growing Physalis Cape Gooseberry for 3 years in full sun in a pot in the Hills District of Sydney and they never ripen. I feed the soil in the pot and give away lots of seedings that perform a lot better. My grandmother had a huge bush and we had absolutely amazing cape gooseberry jam - also in Northern Italy they pull back the husks to look like wings leaving a long stalk on the ripe berry and dip the berry to half cover in chocolate and they are very expensive to buy and taste delicious... I too would love to have a solution to the half-ripening and still small when they drop off, berries. Let me know if you have an answer.
11 Oct 16, James (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Suzanne, I am by no means an experienced Cape Gooseberry grower, but I have had more success with ripening by treating the plant a little meaner. Don't feed your plant, too much nitrogen makes it grow leaves and the leaves prevent ripening I have found. James
01 Aug 16, Deon (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
hi do capegoose beries require full sun?
01 Oct 16, May (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
In my experience, they grow fine in full sun, but they bear more fruit if they have a bit of shade. I plant mine in flowerbeds and sheltered behind taller trees/plants, so they get morning sun and then dappled shade for the rest of the day.
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