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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26 Nov 14, Stuart (Australia - temperate climate)
many years ago when i lived in England we grew goosberries in the back garden then lived through cold,frost,snow,you name it they were fine,alas i`m not sure what type of goosberry they were.
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09 Sep 14, Lisa (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I gave mine a hard pruning after it stopped flowering/fruiting last year and it's now sprouting again. I live in Tasmania so kept it in my hothouse in a pot over winter.
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24 Aug 14, Amanda Mac (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am interested in purchasing some cape gooseberry seeds. I am on the northside of Brisbane. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
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25 Aug 14, Emily (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have a cape gooseberry in my garden (north brisbane) if you would like to take some fruit for seeds
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31 Aug 14, Anitha (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
hi can I have some fruit for seeds too....
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18 Aug 14, Ruth (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi all, Is it true that all parts of the Cape Gooseberries (including the unripe fruit) are toxic? There seems to be conflicting info out there. I started some seeds from the Diggers Club undercover over a month ago, just sprouting now, so will plant out against a fence to keep away from frost. - Melbourne has had more frost than last year. Great germination rate so 20 was probably too many but looking forward to my first harvest. Awesome site by the way. Just found it today...
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25 Aug 14, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I believe the unripe fruit are toxic to animals.
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29 Jul 14, Julie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
They handle light frost well. Only leaf damage and kept on growing. These are also excellent chicken treats to keep them away from your valuable veggies.
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09 Jul 14, Glenda (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have just purchased some gooseberry seeds which I will plant in August. I live 40 kms west of Bundaberg in Qld. My question is do they require a lot of watering?
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29 May 14, Richard (Australia - temperate climate)
I just received seeds from rangeview seeds and have sown them. Will grow them in my greenhouse for a start
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Showing 261 - 270 of 392 comments
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Hello, I'm researching information on growing this plant and this site has the most, however after reading all the comments I am a little confused. could somebody clarify some bits please? 1) Most comments and tips agree on that the plant doesn't need any fertilizer but some speak about potassium and manure. If I use whatever is suitable for tomatoes will i hurt the plant or just get a lot of vegetable growth but no fruits? 2)Last year I grew 4 plants and managed to destroy two of them by over-watering (I had them all in pots so i guess draining was the issue). I live on a Greek island and the summer here is pretty hot while we get no frost during winter (the entire month of July passed with temperatures in the range of 30-43C). I grew two more from cuttings planted on the ground and they all seem to do well though I'm experimenting on different sun exposure. The plants I have in pots are under direct sun light for the most part of the day (10 hours min.) while the ones on the ground are under partial sun exposure (4-6 hours a day) though the latter are approximately 1m tall while the first are up to 2m. My problem is that I do not get any blossoms at all. There's plenty of them on the plants but they never get to grow into flowers, as soon as they get thick as a needle they seem to burn out. Do I need to water the plants twice a day or add fertilizer? Last year the plants were less than 1m tall and I got only a single flower which of course couldn't turn into fruit (but at least it was a flower :) ) so I thought I was off to a good start but obviously I'm doing something wrong.

- George

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