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                
          T            

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • 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 50°F and 77°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 39 - 59 inches 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.
  • Cape Gooseberry plant
  • Flowers
  • unripe fruit

A straggling bush up to one metre tall that bears yellow fruits inside a brown papery envelope. It is perennial. The cape gooseberry is related to tomatillo, ground cherry and husk tomato, all in the genus Physalis.

Cape Gooseberry is very easy to grow and as the fruit are popular with birds the plants can be easily spread around the garden. If you have plenty of room then plants grow better with 1.5 m of space. Spacing closer works but you may get less fruit.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cape Gooseberry

The berry is the size of a cherry tomato, is very aromatic and full of tiny seeds. They are delicious eaten fresh or can be made into jam. They can be added to salads, desserts and cooked dishes, they are delicious stewed with other fruit, especially apples. They also go well in savoury dishes with meat or seafood. Can be preserved dried as 'Inca Berries'

Your comments and tips

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23 Jul 22, Merina Bjordin (Canada - Zone 3b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I planted them last year in a pot - did not know for sure what they were, but brought them in and kept them alive (barely) all winter. This spring, thinking the plant was mostly dead, I put it out in late May. Now in mid July and after a very rainy June, it is thriving- the plant is quite ugly so it’s been at the back of the house, but now that I know what it is, I’ll put it in a sunny spot out front. I’m hoping for berries.
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20 Dec 21, Khanna Promila Relan (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Inca berries are not Perennials, Need Lots of watering, Aphids will attack them early on. You can try some Neem oil 1 tea spoon 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing detergent , mix it well, spray twice a week or as needed. Sun but no more than 5 hours, when flowering do what you will do for a fruiting plant (Note from Gardenate : they are perennial in warmer climates.)
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25 Aug 21, Patricia ARNETT (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
My plants came back this spring, i was not sure what they were, so i snapped a photo to plantsnap and they said it was Japanese knorweed and to get rid of it as it was very aggresive. So I did that. I missed one plant and it is now producing the berries. How could they be so wrong? We thought they wee a type of qum quat.
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23 May 21, Adela (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Hi, i live in Ontario. I got a golden berry in the husk from the market. i saved the seeds as folows: open the fruit, squeeze all flesh and fruit in a strainer. Wash it well, the flesh will separate. Pick it up and wash the seeds some more. Then you can put them on a paper towel to dry, they will stick to that but you can plant them with the paper, no problem. Or put them on a plate, let them dry well adn the bag them or plant them. I planted about half the seeds. Cover lightly with soil and i set them under growing lights, covered. I started them in January, they took about 3 weeks to emerge, uncovered and let them grow under lights. Potted them up. They say do not fetilize, but the leaves came yellow with green stripes, so i fed them fish emulsion diluted. They grew beautiful. Fed them about 3 times only. Never since. It is end of May and couple of them have a handfull of flowers. I experimented with pinching the top. Online they say do not pinch, let them grow 9 to 12 nodes and they will split naturally. true. The ones not pinched split and the first flowers grows right there. The pinched ones do not have any flowers yet, they are bushier though. I will plant them out in sandy soil in a week. I will save seeds this year and can send to anyone in Canada wanting to try. They are annuals in zone 5 so you need to start them every year. Very easy to grow, and if they make 150 to 300 fruits per plant it is well worth it. In the husk they store up to 3 months at room temperature. I can let you know how long will take from seed to fruit. Have fun !!!
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02 Jul 22, Marco (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Hi I’m in Montreal Please how long does it take to produce your golden berry? Thx
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25 Aug 22, MAISHA DEWKINANDAN (Canada - Zone 5b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I sowed seeds under light Apr 6, 2022 and May 8th transplanted outdoors, in pots and the planter. About the 1st week in July, started flowering and as of Aug 24th, started to harvest! I started from goldenberry from Columbia and will start seeds about two weeks earlier next year.
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23 Jun 21, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Squeeze seeds into a saucer or similar with water in it. Replace the water after 3 days, After about 5-6 days the gel around the seed should have come away in a fermentation process. Dry the seeds for about 2 weeks and put in a bag/envelop and put in a glass jar and put in fridge until you need them. Do the same with tomatoes.
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30 Dec 19, Frank (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate)
How long after sewing the seeds can you expect berries? In my area can they be left out year round?
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28 Mar 20, Vertical Gardener (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate)
I'm in Vancouver and grow cape gooseberries every year. I have never seen them last beyond October. They die back every year, well before the snow arrives.
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30 Dec 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
If you have heavy frosts then your plants will die back, otherwise they should be fine all the year round.
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