In my new book, Veggie Garden Remix, I talk about how to grow ground cherries in a garden. This tomato cousin, related to tomatillos, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant, is also called husk cherry and has become one of our favorite crops for its ease of cultivation and bounty of marble-sized, golden fruits. Read on to learn more about this fantastic garden vegetable!
This post is an excerpt from Veggie Garden Remix by Niki Jabbour.
Glorious ground cherries
The flavor of a ripe ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa) is comparable to pineapple with hints of cherry tomato and vanilla. It’s an unusual combination, but one that works. Occasionally, I’ll bite into an extra-ripe berry that almost tastes like butterscotch — sublime! Their sweet flavor is what earns them the nicknames “strawberry tomato” and “Cossack pineapple.” You can eat the fruits fresh or in salads, but you can also turn them into jam, pie, cobbler, or sauce for drizzling over ice cream or cheesecake. If you have a dehydrator, you can dry them and eat them like raisins.
This is a fun and easy crop to grow, with the low, bushy plants producing hundreds of marble-size berries from midsummer until the hard autumn frost. The fruits, which are enclosed in a papery husk, drop from the plants when they are ripe, hence the name ground cherry. They are firm fruits, even when ripe, with seeds that are so small the fruits actually seem seedless.
Tricky to start, but self-sowing ever after
The first step to growing ground cherries in a garden is to get them to sprout. Ground cherry seeds are notoriously tricky to germinate, but a bit of bottom heat will boost germination rates. I sow seeds indoors, 6 to 8 weeks before my last frost, and help them along by covering the seed trays with clear plastic wrap and placing them on top of a heating mat to keep warm. Germination can take 2 to 3 weeks. Once transplanted into the garden, expect the harvest to begin in 70 to 75 days.
Tuck them in a sunny site in the garden or in large pots, digging in a few inches of compost or aged manure. A steady supply of moisture will result in the highest quality fruits, so water regularly if there has been no rain. A 2-inch layer of straw or shredded leaves on the soil will prevent weeds, maintain soil moisture and keep the fallen fruits clean.
You may only to start ground cherries once, though! They are prolific self-seeders, so expect many volunteer plants to pop up the following season. You can either thin them and leave a few in place, or dig them up to share with gardening-minded family and friends. Growing them in containers on a wooden, stone, or concrete deck or patio will minimize the threat of self-seeding. As well gathering any over-ripe fruit left on the garden bed in late autumn.
Related post: Cherry tomato round up!
Growing ground cherries in a garden
To grow ground cherries in a garden, keep in mind that the plants have a relaxed growth habit, which can take up a lot of space. I use tomato cages (inserted at transplanting time) or insert three 4-foot wooden stakes around the plant and use twine to keep the growth relatively upright. If you do support your ground cherry plants, you can transplant them 2 feet apart.
Unsupported plants should be spaced at least 3 feet apart. They don’t get very tall (between 1½ and 3 feet in height), and they can also be grown in pots on a sunny deck or patio. Ground cherries pollinate themselves, so small-space gardeners can enjoy this crop, even if they have only one plant. Encourage good soil fertility by applying a slow release organic fertilizer at planting time and then again in mid-summer.
In this video, you’ll learn about some of the delicious ways to use ground cherries in the kitchen.
Potential pests
Although our annual ground cherry crop is seldom bothered by common pests, we do occasionally see the tiny holes in the leaves caused by flea beetles. Also watch for Colorado potato beetles, striped cucumber beetles, and hornworms. Combining crop rotation with a lightweight row cover placed over the seedlings at planting time will help deter most pests. Remove the cover when the plants begin to flower.
Look down for fruit
Harvesting is as simple as gathering up the fallen fruits — a favorite activity for our kids! Sometimes the fruits are still immature when they fall and need extra time to ripen from inedible green to rich, golden yellow. You could leave them on the ground for a week or two, but because the squirrels also love this treat, I pick up the fallen fruits every couple of days and bring them indoors to finishing maturing. To keep fallen fruits clean, I apply a straw mulch beneath the plants in early summer. This also helps keep the soil evenly moist, which ground cherries appreciate. To encourage ripe or almost-ripe fruits to fall, you can “tickle” or gently tousle the plant every few days.
If you’re not going to eat your whole harvest immediately, store the small fruits, still in husks, in a refrigerator, cool basement, garage, or root cellar. Under ideal conditions, they can store from 6 weeks to 3 months. When frost threatens in autumn, cover the plants with a row cover or frost blanket to protect the crop. This can extend the season for several weeks.
We love to eat our ground cherries straight from the garden, popping the golden fruits from the husks and into our mouths. You can also bake the berries in scones, pies, tarts, and cake, stew them with sugar and vanilla to make a sublime sauce for ice cream, or make preserves and turn the berries into a tasty jam. They also make a delicious salsa!
To read more from Niki about shaking up your veggie garden with new, unusual, and global crops, purchase a copy of Veggie Garden Remix via Amazon or your local bookseller.
Excerpted from Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix © by Niki Jabbour. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
I discovered ground cherries at the Wellington Farmer’s Market in Prince Edward County last summer – they were the first thing to sell out every Saturday! So tasty!!!
I grew Ground Cherries about 5 years ago but they were still green by the end of October so the frost took them. The plants are very prolific and came back every year but I weeded them as the plants would be killed by frost before I could harvest the fruit. Did I perhaps have a variety which was too late for our season. Can someone tell me a variety that will ripen earlier for our climate in Nova Scotia.
I’m trying a variety that is notorious for early fruiting. I live in Anchorage, AK. Can’t speak to them yet as this is my first season trying, but it sounds promising based on the reviews!
https://www.rareseeds.com/mary-s-niagara-ground-cherry/
I am in Alberta (zone 2) and have fallen in love with the Aunt Molly’s variety of Ground Cherries over the past 6 years. It’s imperative that you give them an early start and they love some heat over the summer. I planted them on top of our hugleculture this year which extended their season by getting them up and away from early frost. The plants we direct planted into the greenhouse didn’t do as well as those in the garden (large plants but way fewer fruit).
So I have to laugh because I thought these were weeds growing under my pine tree. They seem to like it there. Now I know to eat them.
Do you need to fertalize ground cherries when growing in containers?
I would give them a liquid organic food every 2-3 weeks. Just follow the directions on your fertilizer of choice 🙂
Do these ground cherries grow on prickly vines? I’ve seen wild yellow husk-tomatoes growing on roadsides, but the plants are so stickery, I have never tried to pick and eat the fruits. I bought a bag of organic Dried Golden Berries (Physalis peruviana) at Aldi, and shall be trying to grow some this year. Their flavor is a lot more interesting and appealing than the dried Goji berries I’ve purchased!
Hmmm interesting.. Horse nettle is in the same family but their fruits don’t have husks.. I haven’t ever seen a ground cherry plant with prickly vines.
Could they have been tomatillos? They look similar but they are a little bit larger and they are sticky. Ground cherries aren’t sticky.
Sounds like a nightshade. Do they turn black later? I cant remember the exact name, but are toxic to livestock and people too I think, in large quantities.
Do deer like ground cherries?
Hey Doris. About the same as tomatoes… not a favourite food, but if they’re hungry enough, they may take a bit of the leaves. Putting a chicken wire cage around the plants should protect them. – Niki
Have have a ground cherry plant on my window sill and it’s done producing and is now yellow. I’m in Wisconsin and we already have a bunch of snow and the feel like temp in 2°f. So I was wondering do I cut the plant back or just leave it be. This is my first time growing a ground cherry plant.
Good question.. likely, it’s done and you can toss it on your compost. If you want to try to grow it as houseplant you can, but I’ve never had any luck growing them indoors. – Niki
Do ground cherries grow in zone 7?
Absolutely! 🙂 – Niki
should I l discourage suckers and formation of side branches like on a tomato?
Great question! I don’t. I just let the plants develop without pruning. – Niki
The seeds germinated in about three weeks but the plants are near microscopic and seem really fragile. Some died after getting barley above the surface. I have them in peat cups so as not to have to disturb them during transplanting. Will they ever get strong enough to plant in pots or in the ground? Some are about 1/2″ tall but still seem very fragile! Thanks.
Are they getting plenty of light Phillip? The seedlings do start out quite small but they can get spindly and fall over if they don’t have enough light. Grow-lights should be just 2-3 inches from the tops of plants. If you’re using a window, it may not be offering enough light. Also, I keep a fan on in my seed-starting room to boost air circulation. It reduces damping off which is a fungal disease that kills seedlings. I’d fertilize your seedlings with a diluted organic fertilizer and give them as much light as possible. – Niki
I’ve got All my young plants, ground cherries too, under a grow Light with a fan going to jostle them. It helps strengthen the plants. I hope it helps – it was a game changer for me.
I grew them for the first time last year, three plants given to me by a friend and I had them throughout the summer into October. Groundhogs love them but after awhile got discouraged with netting.
I’ll have to look into making jam out of it, what a great way to make use of such a prolific plant 😁
I live in MD (zone 6b/7a) and I’m just starting to seed them indoors. Did I start too late? The 1st frost typically doesn’t come until late October.
You can try… they need about 6-7 weeks of indoor growth before being moved outside. It’s too late for me in zone 6 but if you can’t find seedlings at a nursery, I say go for it! 🙂 Good luck.
🙂 thank you for the post. I’m growing one as well as they got so big so fast. I wonder what pot size do you use for your mature ground cherry or what size would you recommend.
thank you
Bigger is better! I would suggest a pot at least 16 inches in diameter as the plants can grow several feet tall and across. Plus larger pots hold a larger volume of soil which means you don’t have to water as often. I’m all about gardening with less work :). Niki
I bought some ground cherry transplants, which are under 5” high. They have tiny blossoms. Too early! Should I pinch these off?
I’m growing ground cherries for the first time this year, and have been harvesting twice a day for the past few days. (direct sown in outdoor container…they germinated quite quickly.) I just noticed tiny little holes in the leaves like you described in the article above, and I’m wondering what you all used to treat flea beetles?
Like Leslie, my plants are covered with flea beetle holes. I’ve sprayed with Neem oil but with no real improvements. Next year I plan on using the row covers. Any more tips on flea beetle treatment or row covers for next years crop would be appreciated!
How soon should blossom appear on the ground cherry plant.
Thanks for posting this, a lot of good information!
Another good reason for using a fan with seedlings is that it simulates outdoor wind conditions therefore making the seedlings stronger. I put it on a timer for a few hours several times a day.
One more thing, my plants were in large tomato cages but they went up, over the top, back down and spread out several feet from the cages!
I planted these, for the first time, in 20″ pots. They grew wonderfully but grew tall and lanky – 4 – 5 feet!, instead of bushy. Is that an anomaly?
I, finally, got some ground cherry seeds to germinate after 3 attempts ! It is now November 3rd and they are only 8″ to 10″ tall. I brought them in the house (in pots) and they are only a single stem. My question is, Can I snip the tops off to make them bushier at this point ? Thank You !
I’m planning to grow these this year. I started mine from seed in paper pots in a mini greenhouse made from a milk jug. I’ve also started green and purple tomatillos. Do you know if they’ll all cross pollinate and I’ll get weird hybrid volunteers next year? Would you recommend that I separate them in my yard?
Hey Val.. the ground cherries and tomatillos won’t cross pollinate. But the two varieties of tomatillos likely will. If you clean up any fruit that falls you shouldn’t end up with many volunteers. But if you do, I just turn them over into the soil as they sprout. They’ll compost down and enrich the soil. Good luck! 🙂 Niki
Hi Niki,
First time growing ground cherries from seed, they grew great indoors and I transplanted them outside a week ago (i live in the Annapolis valley)
Some of the leaves have some dark blackish colouring on them now. What could this be? Is this normal?
TIA! Love all your great gardening info!
Hi Niki, I’ve been looking all over the Internet for the answer to this question but I can’t find it anywhere. Can I plant ground cherries from the cherries I bought at a farmstand? Should I do it in the fall or is there some way to store them so that I can plant them in the spring? Do I need to prepare them in some way?
Hi Amanda, yes you can save ground cherry seeds from ground cherries you buy at a farm stand. Just squeeze the seeds out of the little fruits and spread them on a paper plate. Let them dry for about 7-10 days or until they are completely dry. Store in envelopes and sow them next spring. Good luck! Niki
It’s the middle of May now. Is it too late to start growing ground cherries indoors, before transplanting outdoors? I live in Vancouver, Canada.
Hmmm good question. The plants need about 70 days to go from transplant to harvest… and at least 6 weeks of indoor growth. So it depends on the length of your growing season. My first choice would be to try and find transplants locally. I know I can buy them from garden centres here in NS. If that’s not an option and you’ve got seed, go for it. You’ll likely get a harvest in Sept. Keep me posted! 🙂 Niki
Hi Niki. Even though I am in zone 8b on BC’s west coast I find a lot of your timing tips in YEAR-ROUND VEGETABLE GARDENER apply here. Thank you.
Re ground cherries..my plant is large with lots of flowers. Fruit is forming but tiny.. it’s ripening and falling while only a quarter of the husk is filled. Could this be a result of the extended strange weather we had earlier…very hot days and cold nights? Or am I missing something in its care?
Hi Deb – thank you so much for your kind words about my book! Immature ground cherries can fall from the plant in times of drought (the plants drops excess fruit it doesn’t have the moisture to mature), but even very windy weather or heavy rain can knock off some of the immature fruit. So definitely weather related. On the east coast we’re now having very hot and humid weather followed by heavy rains and it’s definitely impacting vegetable plant growth and health. Good luck! – Niki
When saving seeds for next year, should I separate the seeds from the pulp. Or does it work to dry. Then plant seeds with the pulp?
Good question! I ferment them like tomato seeds. Put them in a jar or container with enough water to cover them. Let them ferment for 3-4 days or until a skim of mold develops on the surface of the water. Strain the seeds out and rinse them clean. Then dry them for 7-10 days on a paper plate. Good luck! – Niki