I would like to know how big ground cherries get? I have never grew them before, my wife wanted them and told me they had them when they were kids.
I don't know the first thing about them.
How tall do they get?
How wide of a spared do they get?
Do they need to be staked up?
Do they bear onces or do they bear up to frost?
Do they vine?
Ground Cherries
I have nevr heard of groudn cherrie s before, but ya might ask on the fruit s and nut s forum. There fruit growers of all kind s over there and somebody may be able to help ya a lot better there.
They get about two ft tall here. I suppose if I took the time to cultivate them they might gain in size.
If you are going to grow them in your garden you may want to run a line or two for them to lean against (easier than individual cages) but even that is an extra step. They are one of the easiest, low-maintenance plants you could ask for.
And yes, they'll bear up to frost.
HTH!
Shoe
Shie.. ya got apic of a ground cherry anywhere's and what do ya do with it. If you got somethign good to eat and I don't know about it, ya better share. Can't have you having all the fun. : ) LOL
Hehehe...they grow like weeds here, and I bet they might grow where you are, too. There are many different kinds though. Think of the plant "chinese lantern", that is in the same family (but those are not edible). Even tomatillos may be in the same family but I'd have to go Google it to double-check.
Here is a link with a very good picture of them harvested. http://veganyumyum.com/2008/09/ground-cherry-cupcake-pies/
Again, I bet you will recognize them. Think of a cherry growing in a husk (like the Chinese lantern).
Hope this has you out hunting for them!
Shoe
I had them last year- very sprawling, We ate them when the outer cover started to die and they were pretty good. My mistake was planting them near the pond.. very productive but we spent days cleaning cherries and the covers out of the filters..
live and learn..
Oh how nifty! Never seen them before. Don't think I have seen them sold here before either.
Ok, I want some. Gimmie.. Gimmi.e Gimme!!!!!!! LOL
Anybody got some they coudl send me to grow if they grow from seed or where I can get some plants. be glad to trad e or pay for postage or whatever to get some.
Not nic e to keep good fruit and veggie secrets. hahahahahah LOL
I grew them once once, they were really very good. not great, but ripe between harvests and everbearing. I have no idea where I found them and only occasionally hear about them.
I would grow two of them in a container on concrete away from your garden. Each ground cherry fruit has approximately 1,000 seeds.
Cossack Pineapple and Aunt Molly's are two of the more well-known varieties. I thought they were very sweet, but in the end really did not like the flavor. I know others love them though, and wow are they easy to grow.
This message was edited Jul 1, 2009 10:15 AM
Here in South Africa we have what is known as the "Cape Gooseberry. My bush is about 2m high. The plant needs lots ofsun - mine is growing in full sun, and even though it dies down in winter (in colder areas), it usually comes back in Spring.
They make lovely jam. I have a recipe for a Goseberry tart where they are combined with Caramel Condensed Milk - to die for!! My all time favourite...
Elsa
Edit fo spelling
This message was edited Jul 1, 2009 5:32 PM
I forgot to mention that the spread is about the same as the height. It may happen that some of the branches grow very tall in which case you can train them or you can just give the branch a light prune.
My plant usually have fruit throughout the summer.
Seeds are available from seed suppliers. Let me know if yu are interested insome.
Hope it helps..
I ordered seeds from Bakercreek but I have never been able to get them to germinate. I'd love seeds from whatever you guys have so I could try again. If anybody is willing to send some lmk about trade or postage.
Elsa
Do you think yours would grow in zone 6? I'd love to try them.
My parents live in Belfast where the winter temperatures go down to 19F, and they self seed all over the place. My dad regularly has to pull out babies... I am sure if you protect the bottom part of the plant, or maybe keep it in a big pot that you can bring in during the winter, they will survive. Just cut the plant down after the cold kiled the top part, and protect the roots...
Will get some seeds to you. Are you in the address exchange?
Seeds are slow to germinate and need heat and light. Press onto the surface of the soil and do not cover. Ground cherries are members of the Physallis family and some relatives are toxic. Therefore approach wild members of the family with caution. There are many members of this family found throughout much of the US. Cape Gooseberry is different from the common ground cherry. Both are excellent, but cape gooseberry gets much larger (plant) and requires a longer growing season. At last look, Thomson and Morgan was selling seed of both kind this past year. Fruit size is typically 1/2 to 3/4". Only eat uniformly yellow/orange fruit as green fruit can cause some people problems (and does not taste good)
Elsa
I am in the exchange. Thankyou so very much. I will grow it in a pot and bring it in. You are so generous.
I'll try again with the seed I have left but I don't have much hope after 3 tries. I had them under a light all 3 times.
It might help to put the seed start container in a transparent plastic bag to preserve humidity - don't make the soil too wet as this will promote mold. I'm wondering if you got a batch of bad seed as they are pretty easy.
I should have a bunch of small plants coming up in the garden that I could try to send you some for postage. Typically they do not transplant very well, but should do ok enough to get you some fresh seed for next year - they self-seed aggressively. If interested, send me your mailing addy via d-mail. I typically pull most of them as weeds and leave a few to go to fruit.
When would I need to plant them?
As soon as you got them. They are annuals.
Would it be too late now?
Krowten.. Thanks for the information. I'd be oen of them folks tryign to eat somethign not right.
Would the groudn cherry be an annual for me too?
They make excellent salsa!