Growing Cape Gooseberry, also Golden Berry, Inca Berry

Physalis peruviana : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	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

08 Apr 20, Anon (Australia - temperate climate): Most vegetables need a fair amount of sunlight, that is one of the main ingredients for them to grow. Some only need 4-6 hrs, some 6-8 hrs. Try growing something in shade and see how it grows. Read up on the internet how many hours of sun plants need.
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02 Apr 20, aileen cooke (Australia - temperate climate): last time... the fruit failed to mature and some leaves went yellow and fell and the branches became straggly now it's autumn.it has bulked up. it's having another go...with flower. I love the plant. where am I going wrong?
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28 Jun 20, Brad (Australia - temperate climate): The roots of the goldenberry are quite shallow and prone to drying out. If you are growing the plant in soil perhaps you could try a thick layer of mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.
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03 Apr 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate): There is a notice at the bottom of the page " This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided."
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31 Mar 20, Noel Ling (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Comment: I have a self sown cape gooseberry (2 years old) in front of a small hothouse. Going absolutely mad in growth and fruit. don't water, fertilize or prune. height 6 ft, width 5 ft. probably need to pull it out before it totally covers entrance. is this type of growth normal?
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01 Apr 20, Another gardener (Australia - sub-tropical climate): It is probably receiving water from you watering other plants. Plants don't grow without there being water and fert from somewhere. If you want to keep eating them maybe prune it back around the doorway. I had 5 agapanthus plants, fert them watered them put some good compost around them. Wouldn't grow much. Dug them out yesterday. Roots from the passionfruit (1.5m away) were everywhere. Passionfruit was stealing all the water and fert.
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10 Jan 20, Denise (Australia - temperate climate): How do I ripen the fallen fruit? It’s hull is papery and crisp but still quite green inside. I’ve tried them on a sunny window ledge with no success
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13 Jan 20, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): If really immature they probably won't ripen. Think about protecting them from the wind or what caused them to fall off.
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20 Dec 19, Eliud Mungai (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): I am from Kenya in East Africa and I have a small garden planted with golden berries.the plants are about 1.5 metres high. Their leaves have developed white sports underneath and are falling off. What could be the problem? And what's the soluton to this problem?
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22 Dec 19, Anon (Australia - temperate climate): Check with a local agricultural department or a nursery.
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Replying to:

Have a cape gooseberry going on 3 summers now. Not much fruit in first year, bucket load in 2nd summer, now bucket loads in 3rd summer. Red spider mites would attack it from about March through to start of winter, but we just cut it back to about 20cm from base and the spider mites disappear heading into the winter. Noticed about a month ago after the hot weather hit, that alot of new flowers would just fall off at the slightest touch. Put this down to lack of water, so we placed sugar cane mulch to about 6 inches thick and out to a radius of about a meter, then stretched shade cloth over the mulch and pegged down (to keep the blackbirds from destroying the mulch). Under the mulch cover we also placed weaper hose and had this going for a few hours each day, and problem soon resolved with loads more flowers and setting fruit.

- Brad

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Growing Cape Gooseberry, also Golden Berry, Inca Berry

Physalis peruviana : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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