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

06 Nov 12, aaron (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
hav been growing cape gooseberry plants for years now in Bluff.cold as it may be at times in the deep south, grown indoors or in a sheltered patio pot these plants can thrive here.one neglected specimen in the corner of my hot house grew to the roof,over 7ft. tip cuttings or lateral cuttings can root in a glass of water or pushed into moist soil.I found 6 to 8 cuttings planted in a circle about the diametre of a bucket results in a great sized bush in its second year.i also had a single stemed plant that i tied to the frame of a tunnel house and trained for a entire growing season pinching out all latteral growth the resulting frame burst out prolificly the following year..dried seeds sprinkled throughout the garden germinated prolificly and can esily be transplanted.Hard cutting back at the end of the fruiting season seems only to encourage better growth next year.Great plant to give away to friends also good plant indoor for kids.If i can grow it in windy cold old bluff ANY ONE CAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.tip,berries are awsome on top of pavalova instead of kiwfruit or strawberrys.
Showing 31 - 31 of 31 comments

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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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. GardenGrow 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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