Physalis peruviana

Apanachi

Totally new to this gardening stuff, have a little veg patch in my garden where I mostly just plant tomatoes & herb, this year I want to try to grow Physalis peruviana in my garden and was wondering if they need special care, or can I just plant them and let nature take its course?

Thanks

Corsendonk

I tried them 5 years ago, I grew them like tomatoes. I used a support string but didn't shoot them as they are more of a bush structure. Warning do white fly love them so regular applications of soapy water may be needed to the foilage.

Apanachi

Thanks, been doing a bit of research about the plants on the net, but it's good to get first hand feedback (for example, didn't find anything about the white loving them - so that's a good bit of extra information)

I read that while they are perennial, they are frost tender, so I'll probably have to re-sow them every year, because temperatures of up to -20 C is not uncommon where I live, but it'll be worth it if they do grow.

black_frosch

That's what I have now on my windowsill and I'm going to plant them out today or tomorrow not sure where and what to do next, I've read that they're similar to tomatoes but I have no experience with tomatoes too.

We'll see

Sowing: Sow in spring, February to April
Sow indoors only just covering the seed. Germination usually takes place quickly and freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well.
The plant is usually naturally bushy, but it can be useful to pinch out the growing tip whilst the shoots are less than 30cm tall in order to encourage side shoots
In areas where frost may be a problem, providing the plant with some protection. Individual plants are small enough to be fairly easily covered during cold snaps by placing plastic sheeting, etc. over a frame around them. Plastic row covers will also provide some frost protection for larger plantings. Potted specimens can be moved to a frost-secure area.

Cultivation:
The plant likes a sunny, frost-free location, sheltered from strong winds.
Very good crops are obtained on rather poor sandy ground. If the soil is too rich it encourages leaf production at the expense of fruiting. Even moderate fertiliser tends to encourage excessive vegetative growth and to depress flowering. High yields are attained with little or no fertiliser. Branching plants can attain 1 to 1.8m (3 to 6ft) in height,

The plant needs consistent watering to set a good fruit crop, but can't take "wet feet". Where drainage is a problem, the plantings should be on a gentle slope or the rows should be mounded. Irrigation can be cut back when the fruits are maturing. The plants become dormant during drought.
Stake as necessary. Very little pruning is needed unless the plant is being trained to a trellis. Pinching back of the growing shoots will induce more compact and shorter plants.

Fruit:
The flowers are a bit like potato flowers but soft yellow. After the flower falls, the calyx expands, forming a straw-coloured husk much larger than the fruit enclosed, which take 70 to 80 days to mature. As the fruits ripen, they begin to drop to the ground, but will continue to mature and change from green to the golden-yellow of the mature fruit. The unripe fruit is said to be poisonous to some people. Cape gooseberries are self-pollinated but pollination is enhanced by a gentle shaking of the flowering stems or giving the plants a light spraying with water.

Harvest:
The fruit is harvested when it falls to the ground, but not all fallen fruits may be in the same stage of maturity and must be held until they ripen. Properly matured fruits will keep for several months.
Remember that it comes from the same botanical family (Solanaceae) as the tomato, potato, sweet peppers and chillies. Eat only ripe fruits, all vegetation is poisonous

History:
The plant was being grown in England in 1774 and was cultivated by early settlers at the Cape of Good Hope before 1807. Soon after its adoption in the Cape (the origin of the name 'Cape gooseberry') it was carried to Australia, where it was one of the few fresh fruits of the early settlers in New South Wales. There it has long been grown on a large scale and is abundantly naturalised.
It is also grown in New Zealand where it is said that "the housewife is sometimes embarrassed by the quantity of berries in the garden"…government agencies have promoted increased culinary use!

http://www.seedaholic.com/physalis-peruviana-edulis-cape-gooseberry.html

Physalis peruviana
Common Name
Goldenberry, Peruvian groundcherry

Family
Solanaceae

Known Hazards
All parts of the plant, except the fruit, are poisonous

Habitats
Coastal regions and disturbed areas from sea level to 4500 metres.

Range
S. America - Peru. Naturalized in C. and S. Europe.

Care
Frost Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun

Summary

Physalis peruviana is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to October, and the seeds ripen from Aug to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, wind.
USDA hardiness zone : 7-10

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Habitats
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Uses
Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, cakes, jellies, compotes, jams etc. A delicious bitter-sweet flavour, it has smaller but sweeter fruits than the cultivar 'Edulis'. The dried fruit can be used as a raisin substitute, though it is not so sweet. The plant conveniently wraps up each fruit in its own 'paper bag' (botanically, the calyx) to protect it from pests and the elements. This calyx is toxic and should not be eaten. The fruit is rich in vitamin A (3000 I.U. of carotene per 100g), vitamin C and some of the B complex (thiamine, niacin and B12). The protein and phosphorus levels are exceptionally high for a fruit. The fruit is a berry about 2cm in diameter. The dried fruit is said to be a substitute for yeast. If picked carefully with the calyx intact, the fruit can be stored for 3 months or more.


Cultivation details
Succeeds in a sheltered position in any well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Prefers a rich loam[38] but tolerates poor soils. If the soil is too rich it encourages leaf production at the expense of fruiting. Plants tolerate a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.2. The Cape Gooseberry is an evergreen shrub in its native environment. It is not very cold-hardy in Britain, however, though it can succeed outdoors as a herbaceous perennial in the mildest areas of the country or when grown in favoured positions such as the foot of a sunny wall. Some cultivars will tolerate temperatures down to about -10° when grown in this way. It would be wise to apply a good protective mulch to the roots in late autumn after the top growth has been cut back by frosts. In most areas of Britain, however, it needs to be grown as an annual in much the same way as tomatoes. The plant is usually naturally bushy, but it can be useful to pinch out the growing tip whilst the shoots are less than 30cm tall in order to encourage side shoots. This species is often cultivated for its edible fruit in warm temperate and tropical zones, there are some named varieties. 'Edulis' is the most common cultivar in Britain, it has considerably larger fruits than the species but these do not have quite such a good flavour. Yields of 20 tonnes per hectare are common in S. America, 33 tonnes has been achieved.

Propagation
Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse only just covering the seed. Germination usually takes place quickly and freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well. Diurnal temperature fluctuations assist germination. Division in spring. This is best done without digging up the plant. Remove young shoots that are growing out from the side of the clump, making sure that some of the below ground shoot is also removed. It is best if this has some roots on, but the shoot should form new roots fairly quickly if it is potted up and kept for a few weeks in a shady but humid part of the greenhouse.

http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Physalis+peruviana

pinch

Hi
I grew them last year and left them in the garden overwinter. They did not survive.
This year I am trying again and have most of them in the garden and two in the greenhouse. One in the greenhouse has started flowering.
My plan is to pot the ones in the garden and keep them in the greenhouse over winter as i think they need protection from the frost. You are supposed to cut the plant down to soil level at the end of the summer.
I got some fruit last summer but this summer is so bad i dont expect much. Having said all that they are an easy plant to germinate and grow.