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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23 May 14, Frank - Albany WA (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
grows well in well tilled free draining soil . I have a few plants which are growing voraciously one close to 2mts high which i have to prune every 3-4 weeks. I like to go out and just pick and eat 10 -20 'berries' straight off the bush- different flavors depending on the ripeness f the berries.
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07 May 14, Allie (Australia - temperate climate)
I just bought seeds from Fair Dinkum Seeds (fairdinkumseeds dot com). Now to try growing them...
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30 Apr 14, Cher (Australia - tropical climate)
They are so very hardy and tolerant of weather extremes. I've grown them in many areas of Australia, mostly Queensland, and my latest offerings have just survived a drenching from cyclone Ita and are looking great. The harvest is always eaten straight after picking!
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24 Apr 14, archie archive (Australia - temperate climate)
On a West facing balcony in Perth I planted a Cape Gooseberry I bought around September last year. It has been slow growing in its 40cm pot (but it is at least growing unlike the one I bought in 2012 which reached 30 cm and had three fruit). It began setting fruit about six weeks ago and has suddenly spurted - it is over 1.5 mtrs tall (above the pot soil level), bushing and is setting many fruit with many more flowers. My concern is that it is now only a couple of months to the cold weather and I wonder if the fruit will ripen in time and if the plant will over-winter. I remember picking fruit from my Grandfather's self-sown bushes many years ago in Kelmscott but cannot remember which season that was.
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23 Apr 14, elissa (Australia - temperate climate)
All those people looking for seeds I got mine from theseedcollection.com.au
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15 Apr 14, Marion Joli (Australia - temperate climate)
Does anyone know how these plants handle frost?
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02 Apr 14, Diane Elliot (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have saved seeds from my late parents' home. I am so glad to know that Eden Seeds will save me if they are too old to grow. I also used to raid the plants every season.
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12 Apr 14, David Bullock (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Diane, good luck with your seeds, have you planted them yet &/or have they struck? My parents passed away years ago & the house was sold, didn't think about saving seeds then, as almost every second person had them in there back gardens, never thinking that the metre high variety would almost become extinct. Colleen
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06 Mar 14, Colleen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My Father always had cape gooseberries in his garden & I have fond memories of rummaging beneath the metre high bushes to pick up the ripe fruit that has dropped, so bought myself one. It has grown into a straggly climber approx 2 1/2 metres tall & no matter how I prune it I can't control it. Also the fruit doesn't fall when ripe, in fact they can't be easily pulled of the vine but need to be cut. Nursery people don't know what I'm talking about & I only have a small area to plant out. Hope you can help.
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05 Mar 14, sue (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
bought 2 plants in local nursery. getting nice lot of fruit
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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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