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 S S S
T T T           T T T T
P P P         P P P P P

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in Australia - sub-tropical 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 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.

Your comments and tips

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for Australia | for all countries
01 Nov 18, Nellie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Each morning I check for small yellow and black striped beetles and then squash them between gloved fingers. This year I did this and have been able to harvest a crop for jam making.
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24 Oct 18, robert brown (Australia - temperate climate)
Boiled Rhubarb leaves are a good insecticide and for the ground invasion use coffee grounds the left over from coffeemakers
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24 Oct 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Rhubarb leaves are poisonous to humans too, so don't spray onto something you are going to eat.
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22 Oct 18, Kerri Hingston (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Where can you buy plants from
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23 Oct 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try a seed selling company on the internet. i doubt any nursery would sell seedlings - not a common plant.
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04 Oct 18, Dirk (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Is there any export opportunities for Cape Goosberries and who can I contact?
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29 Sep 18, promila Relan (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I bought cape berries from farmers market in Calgary Alberta, I remved the seeds from the caper berries. It was in July.--too hot outside. So I kept the tiny pot inside and re potted them as needed. It was very easy. Now I have three plant in three pots about 18 inches tall.and I am waiting for summer- Now I need to know will I have fruit if planted outside and when. I also want to know the precautions necessary to be successful. I do love gardening
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22 Sep 18, ruby (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I have Physalis plant & it is just loaded with fruit not ripe yet, I had to bring in the house as was getting to cold outside. My plant is about 40 inches tall with the pot. I need to know how to treat the plant as I want the fruit to ripen They are very delicious. Red Deer AB Canada Help PleaseRuby
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19 Sep 18, Gerry McCarthy (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
We are growing physalis in the Kenya highlands for the past 15 months. Have many questions and would love to connect with a south african grower/growers to chat further. Thanks.
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02 Sep 18, Margaret Doro (Australia - temperate climate)
You can buy cape gooseberry seed from www.edenseeds.com.au
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Showing 141 - 150 of 558 comments
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Hi Carol, My guess is your plant isn't getting enough water and/ or manure. My cape gooseberry which is now in the green house has gone wild, it's taken over the greenhouse. Not that I mind because it is loaded with fruit. Occasionally I squeeze the green husks to feel how the fruits are developing. The husks that developed in early December has fruits the size of a marble. I don't think they are going to get much bigger than that. New side shoots are still emerging just like the tomato plants and new fruit are developing with these new shoots. How I look after my goose berry is I try to get keep the soil around the plant moist but not damp if you know what i mean. Occasionally I let the soil to almost dry out but never completely dry so the root system can breathe. If you see the leaves starting to wilt from dry soil this will affect the berries in the pods. Try putting dry leaves around the base of the tree to preserve moisture. I don't need to mulch mine because the plant is so bushy it's shading the base itself!! I feed the plant with horse manure. How i do it is, I have a plastic bin about 40 litres with a cover. I put about a supermarket size bag of raw horse manure in the bin then filled it up with water, put the lit on and let it sit for about 2 weeks. I then scoop 4 or 5 cups of this mixture including the grassy bits of the manure from the bin and put into a 10 litre bucket. Fill the bucket up with fresh water, stir them together and water the plants. I feed the plants once every 2 weeks. simple as that..

- Canh

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