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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25 Aug 18, George (Canada - zone 4a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Is it little too late now to only have a few developing fruit? I've read that fruit takes 60 days to mature on the plant.
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25 Aug 18, Dorothy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi. Can anyone help. I live in the Redlands and can grow cape gooseberries beautifully but Pest love them. I get about three different types of insects and a grub. Incesticide doesn’t help much, tried clay dust, all sorts... I have heard about boiled up ruhbarb leaves works against bugs. Can anyone help please. Dorothy
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27 Aug 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Have you tried tomato dust or try yellow sticky paper/traps on eBay or buy from Bunnings or the cheap shops.
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27 Aug 18, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
Go to Gardenpatch Organics Seeds and Plants on the internet. Click garden products and garden netting - vegie netting. 3.5 ($4/m) or 6m ($7.50/m) wide. Buy 2 meters. Put a few stakes in and hang the netting up on it - like an A frame. It will keep all insects and bugs out.
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31 Aug 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Do you mean cover the entire frame so nothing enters? If so then how are things eg tomatoes, pollinated? Thnx.
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11 Nov 18, Jonathan (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Most of these plants are wind pollinated too. Just a little shake gets them pollinated.
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03 Sep 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Cover the whole frame - tomatoes pollinate by the wind mainly. If you want to keep insects out then you need to use vegie netting, If birds - bird netting. Vegie netting means you can have rows approx. 9' long and 3.5 meter wide will go around both side of the plants. I put two stakes in the ground about 8-9' apart. A steel rod between them to keep them apart. 1200mm high 150mm x 150mm wire mesh between the posts tied to the posts. You wind the tomato plant in and out of the 150mm sq holes and can use bale twine or whatever to hold the plants to the mesh. Put some thin poles out about 12-18
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07 Aug 18, Christie Chaplin-Saunders (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
My Inca berries have flower buds now...
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06 Aug 18, (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I have just picked my rambling cape gooseberry bush clean, anticipating some lovely jam. The berries are tiny. About the size of a small pea! Any hints so I might get fatter ones next year?
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09 Sep 18, Angela (Australia - temperate climate)
I grow the Aunt Molly variant /relative- also known as Ground Cherry. You don’t pick them. You wait till they fall and the case has turned papery and gather them from the ground. This happens very late in the season, seems to take forever. Highly recommend Aunt Molly.
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Showing 151 - 160 of 558 comments
See comments for all plants

Clay soil is a massive topic, I suggest you read a few articles - here is a very positive one: https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/dirt-dirt-clay -- like the article states your soil is probably loaded with nutrition, water is the real issue; the way clay soil gets water logged and heavy. The standard rule of thumb with clay soil is: load it up with organic matter (manure, leaves, kitchen compost, etc.). You can just LAYER these on the soil. Additionally, choosing plants that tolerate/like clay soil -- I think the hardy kiwi can tolerate this soil as well as American Persimmon, osage oranges and lots of other plants. They have online plant finders that can help you isolate which plants have the highest probability of success. One thing I did notice when working with heavy clay soils was that plants take a lot longer to establish and grow. I suspect I wouldn't make the effort to plant anything other than plants that are specifically listed as clay tolerant -- you have to go right down to the type of plant: for example: OSAGE oranges not just any oranges .... but maybe all oranges can tolerate clay... you need to check by the type.

- Celeste Archer

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