Growing Ground Cherries – Ground cherries are known as Gooseberries sometimes, other times sweet tomatillos, husk tomatoes or poha berry. Every variety has a different taste but most of them have a cross taste between citrus, pineapple & strawberry.
Its flavor is bright sweet like pineapple with the undertones of strawberry. There are many types of husk strawberries existing with some common names referring to cultivars.
Cape Gooseberry is Peru native for example and was introduced to the cape of good hope and it became popular. This bore it then name cape Gooseberrythough not related at all to Gooseberries.
There are ground cherries native to the US. Those that are not where introduced into the US by settlers. Peaches and apples can take a long time up to 7 years before bearing fruits. But groundcherry, you can harvest it the year you plant.
Ground cherries takes 70 days to bear its first fruits. That is why growing ground cherries are popular for homesteaders and kitchen gardeners.
Ground Cherries – Types and varieties
They fall under Physalis genus, including other plants that have distinctive paper husks like Chinese paper lantern & tomatillos. They fall under the family of black nightshade including tomatoes.
Strawberry Ground Cherry
Strawberry Ground Cherry are common types found in the US. Aunt Molly Ground Cherry, a Polish heirloom is a variety that most kitchen gardeners love. Common among Physalis pruinosa variety include; Aunt Molly Ground Cherry which mature in 70 days.
It is a Polish heirloom and it tastes like citrus. Strawberry Ground Cherry was introduced to Pensylvania in the 1800s by Polish immigrants. Fruits are about 3/4″ diameter.
The plants grow to 2.5 feet tall. Another variety common to Pruinosa is Yellow husk. It is similar to Aunty Molly’s but it is slightly smaller about 1.5 to about 2 feet tall.
Cape Gooseberry
It is known as Peruvian groundcherry and Cape Goosecherry because it was first grown by settlers in South Africa’s cape-of-good-hope.
It is a rare variety that grows to extra large in excess of 4 feet taller. They are not as good as others in production and gets ripen later. It bears larger fruits compared to others about 1″ diameter.
Pineapple Ground Cherry
It is a very close relative to Peruvian and can store well for several months inside the husk without treatment. Its varieties include; Goldie Ground Cherry, which matures in about 75 days. It produces heavy bright gold fruits.
They are extra-large plants which grow up to three to four feet tall. Cossack Pineapple Ground Cherry is another variety which takes 75 days. Its taste is like sweet pineapple and stores pretty well.
The other variety is Yantar Ground Cherry made in Russia. It can grow up to 6 -18″ tall. It is rare to find the seeds for this variety.
Thick Leafed Ground Cherry
Yellow Nightshade Ground Cherry – It is native to American South West, it is rare type and is rarely cultivated. It is a relatively small plant 1-1.5 feet tall.
Now, look at the gallery for growing ground cherries for inspiration if you are a ground cherry lover.
You should also check out our growing root straberries and growing potatoes guide.
