How To Grow and Use Ground Cherries (With Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How to grow ground cherries successfully? ›

Plant after the last chance of frost, once spring has warmed the soil. Space plants 24 inches apart in full sun, although they'll tolerate some afternoon shade in hot climates. Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil of in-ground gardens. Ground cherries sprout roots along the stem, so plant deep.

Ground cherries produce up to 300 fruits per plant and bear nonstop until frost. Four to six plants are sufficient for the average-sized family.

Ground cherries are hugely popular in children's gardens because kids love to harvest and eat them. Remarkably sweet and fruity with tropical notes and a bare hint of tomato, ground cherries are great when simply eaten fresh.

Expect ripened fruit from late summer through autumn. Usually, fruits will ripen ten to eleven weeks after transplanting outdoors. The ground cherry fruit, a berry, ripens inside its husk. Then the beige to tan papery husk holding the berry falls to the ground.

However, they will grow just as well staked as they do sprawling. Ground cherries make a great container plant. If you're growing on a balcony, deck or front porch, or are running low of garden space, consider growing ground cherries in a large pot. Select a 12 to 14-inch pot and plant 1 plant per pot.

Special Considerations. If you have grown ground cherries before, you may not even need to plant this crop again as ground cherries often volunteer in the garden by self-seeding.

Do ground cherries come back every year? Ground cherries are grown as annuals so the same plants won't come back but they reseed themselves prolifically. To prevent ground cherry seedlings from popping up all over your garden, harvest all the fruit and remove any that has dropped to the ground.

I surround my tomatillo, ground cherry, and tomato plants with basil to keep pests away. Other companion plants include marigolds, nasturtiums, sage, carrots, garlic, or onions. Harvesting: Ground Cherries are ready to harvest when the fruit fall to the ground and turn from green to a bright, golden yellow.

You can also propagate ground cherries from 4- to 6-inch cuttings. Remove all the leaves from the cuttings and dip one end of each in rooting hormone.

In small amounts these can cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. They can be dangerous if eaten in moderate to high amounts. A person can tell if a ground cherry is ripe when the inner fruit reaches its final color, which is often yellow or pale orange.

Do ground cherries need a lot of water? ›

Water at Least Once a Week

If you aren't watering your ground cherries at least once a week, Meyers says you're doing it wrong. "Water thoroughly so the plants receive an inch of water (from rainfall and/or irrigation) each week," she advises.

Improve your soil by adding well-rotted manure or compost in spring or fall. Ground cherry plants may not need more fertilizer. Tomatillos and ground cherries need about the same amount of nitrogen as any other crop. Too much nitrogen fertilization will lead to plants that are bushy, leafy, and slow to bear fruit.

Well-grown ground cherries can produce more than 100 fruits per plant. Provide tomato cages or other supports to help provide stability for the big, bushy plants.

Ground cherry is very easy to harvest. Simply wait for it to mature and fill out in its papery sheath. Once fully ripe, ground cherries tends to drop to the ground. By mulching the ground with straw, you protect the little berries from collecting dirt.

Harvesting Ground Cherries and Cape Gooseberries

If the fruit is still green, it's unripe. Don't eat it. That's because, like it's nightshade kin, the stems, leaves, and unripe fruit contain things that can upset your stomach. Don't eat green fruit, they contain toxins that cause stomach upset.

Basil, parsley, onions, carrots, and hot peppers are all good companion plants but don't plant close to corn, fennel, dill, or potatoes as they will compete for similar soil resources. Like tomatoes, ground cherries are self-pollinators but will attract pollinators to your garden.

While ground cherries don't require a lot of pruning or staking (because they don't grow very tall), Meyers says it's important to regularly remove any weeds that appear in their vicinity. "Gently pull, or lightly cultivate the soil, to remove weeds, taking special care not to damage the plants," she advises.

Plants need a relatively constant supply of water. If they don't have enough, they will wilt. Long periods of wilting, or repeated wilting, can cause stunting, pale color, and reduced flowering and fruit production.