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              
        P              

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in USA - Zone 5a 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

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03 Jan 16, Jess (Australia - temperate climate)
If you know anyone with a plant they are easy to grow from seeds or cuttings. Occasionally I see them at nurseries or even bunnings. Or apparently you can get them from The Lost Seed Company (though I haven't checked for WA restrictions). If you get stuck and if you're anywhere near Mosman Park I can give you a couple of little seedlings
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23 Jan 16, Sara (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Jess do you still have seedlings? I am growing my first ever gooseberry this year and it started off growing amazingly well. Very healthy, but I went on a holiday and when I came back it was overrun by red spider mites and is having really bad leaf curl now. Would be great to get hold of a couple of seedlings and give it a fresh start. Would be amazing if you could help me out. I live in Mosman too :)
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07 Sep 15, sue (Australia - temperate climate)
Do you plant the whole berry or try to extract the tiny individual seeds within it?
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29 Sep 15, jan furniss (Australia - temperate climate)
take the seeds out of the pod.
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06 Sep 15, 1st time veggie grower (Australia - temperate climate)
Do you cut/trim the cape gooseberry plant after fruiting and when is the best time to do this please? PS: My Dad's gooseberry jam is awesome.
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01 Sep 15, Margaret (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You can buy beautiful organic non GM gooseberry seeds from Eden Seeds, an irreplaceable resource in our country.
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10 Aug 15, Kay Whitley (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the best time to prune your Cape goosberry bush I live 50 k North of Brisbane
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09 Aug 15, Helen Saunders (Australia - temperate climate)
Is facing West with full Summer sun good growing condition for cape gooseberry? Or can you suggest another not too high fruit bush ? Not higher than one metre as it would then block sun from enclosure garden where herbs etc are grown at our Community Garden. Thank you in advance Helen.
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03 Aug 15, Robyn (Australia - temperate climate)
We live in north Western Sydney and wondered where the cape gooseberry plant can be purchased from.
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17 Aug 15, Matt (Australia - temperate climate)
You can buy the seeds from bunnings. I bought mine the other day
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Showing 221 - 230 of 393 comments
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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 !!!

- Adela

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