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
                  P P P

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • 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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15 Aug 13, John (Australia - temperate climate)
I live near Brisbane Qld Each year after all the gooseberries are picked I cut them down to about 50-100mm high. They regrow from this fairly quickly. If they seem to be getting high and straggley you can cut them back by about half (about 30mm high) and end up with a shorter but thicker bush ( and more gooseberries ) Plenty and regular water but not waterlogged and a frequent dose 10-3-6 fertilizer
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15 Aug 13, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello - if you know anyone with any bushes just get 4 or 5 of the gooseberries, squash them and put them in the garden with a light covering of soil - they will spring up very soon. Thats how I keep about 8 plants growing all year. When you have picked all the gooseberries, cut the bush down to about 50-100mm high and it will sprout up again, year after year if the frost does not kill it off.Usually they will self seed from the gooseberries that fall off and are not picked up.
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11 Aug 13, robin doyle (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
do you have to have two gooseberry plants to pollinate each other ? thanks
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20 Aug 13, Danielle (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Robin, Cape Gooseberries are self-pollinating, so you only require one plant. If you have the room to grow two though, I'd recommend it as they're very tasty!
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10 Aug 13, Raupechen (Australia - temperate climate)
What a lovely plant! Just wonder if anyone can spare a few (10 will be enough, love gardening but small yard) Cape Gooseberry seeds, I am happy to send over stamps or pick up from S E Melbourne area. Thanks.
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06 Aug 13, Pam Oosthuizen (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
Can I trim back the leggy branches after the Fruiting season?
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05 Aug 13, Elaine (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a gooseberry bush pop out of nowhere and it has a few gooseberries on it. Now I have purchased seeds and I am hoping to plant them soon. Hope they will grow well. I am in the northern beaches of NSW just up from Manly - hope it will grow well.
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05 Aug 13, Evelyn (Australia - temperate climate)
My plants have got lots of fruit developing, but there seem to be clusters of red dots on the tips of the leaves and the leaves are going yellowish. It doesn't seem to be affecting the fruit. Also cobwebs on the ends of the stems. Does anyone have any idea what my red menace is and how I should treat it? Thanks.
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18 Aug 13, Danielle Jones (Australia - temperate climate)
It sounds like your cape gooseberries have a spider mite infestation. I usually just remove the affected parts of the plant or wash the mites off (if it's warm enough for the plant to dry off quickly) but if you don't object to using chemicals, I'm sure you'd be able to find something at your local garden store. Good luck!
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01 Aug 13, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
Cape Gooseberries have grown wild on my Central Coast NSW property for over 100 years. My grandmother made jam from them, sometimes with passionfruit. They tend to come up anywhere, the plants aren't eaten by the cattle, they don't get any fertilizer but bear well. Full sun seems to suit them here. Rats and King Parrots love them so you need to be vigilant but I don't begrudge the beautiful King Parrots taking a few.
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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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