If you're talking about husk tomatoes or cape gooseberries, treat the plants like tomatoes for spacing and environmental requirements. They don't require staking like tomatoes. When the fruit falls from the plant, then they should be ripe for use.

What variety are you planting?

GG

I grew ground cherries last year and they were very prolific, though it was somewhat time consuming harvesting enough to make a decent return. I found that sales suffered because many people didn't know what they were or what to do with them.
Mike

I don't grow them for market but my method is to plant them on a tall mound with black plastic sheeting as a mulch. The fruit taste best when fully ripe which is when it falls off the plant so when this happens it slides down the slope and is piled up and waiting to be scooped up by me twice a day. Keep in mind that once a bird tastes it you won't get many unless you protect the plants. Mine tend to go ignored for a month or so and then they get 'harvested' by nature.

I have been growing ground cherries for market for the past 3 years, and they have developed quite a following. The culture is the same for growing tomatoes and I find that weed cloth is essential. It makes harvesting so much easier. The fruits are not ripe until they fall but if any of the fallen fruits are green, do not sell them, As far as $ per acre value, they do not provide the best revenue but I like offering different types of fruits and veges to my customers. The first year I grew them, the variety grew tall (about 3') and upright and blast it I don't remember the name of that variety. The varieties I've been growing since have a more prostrate growing pattern (I prefer upright), namely Aunt Mollies, Pineapple (from Territorial) and Goldie (from Johnnys). If anyone knows of the name of the upright variety I would be so grateful!
Good Luck!

Gponder:

I've been growing the Pineapple var. for the last 3 or 4 years, and saving seed each year. This one usually had an upright growth habit, but last season they were growing flatter to the ground. I don't know if it was fertilizer or sunlight that made the difference, but I did have more sun on the plants where they were, when they were low growing.

GG

gg:

Thanks for your input. I had a few volunteer seedlings pop up last year that were upright with nice fruit. I saved some seed and have them started in the greenhouse. Will see what they do.In my case I don't know if it's a sun issue as each year the plants have had an equal amount of full sun. Perhaps a fertility issue? By the way, do you prefer the Pineapple variety over the others? Just curious if you see much difference between variieties.
Thanks again.
Glenda

Glenda:

I had Aunt Molly and Pineapple the first year I ever grew these and I thought the Pineapple was sweeter so I never continued with A.M. JMO.

I had a short row that contained volunteers two years ago and though the plants looked good, they produced less fruit than ones that were started inside and then set out in a row at normal planting distance. If they were thinned they may have been better. I seem to remember that they even bore fruit later than the started ones, so I wasn't impressed with the ones that just reseed every year.

GG

GG
Thanks again for the info.I have quite a few Goldies (Johnnys seeds) coming up in the greenhouse, the Aunt Molly var doesn't seem to want to germinate and the Pineapple looks good. So will see what this year brings me in ground cherries. Maybe I'll make a pie this year.
glenda

Glenda,

For size and flavor, how would you compare the Goldie to the Pineapple? And Aunt Molly to the Pineapple? Just wondering.

GG

I'm embarrased to say but they all seemed pretty much the same to me. I'm going to pay more attention this year. From what I can remember the Goldie ripened earlier but the Pineapple was a bit larger and more flavorful but that could have been environmental as they were not all planted at the same time. Will try harder this year.
Glenda

these make GREAT salsa!

I'm trying the pineapple this year but I like the regular yellow/green variety pretty well-- they even produce in my very cold climate.

K

Ground cherries: I don`t know my varity have had them quite a few years now. I let them reseed themselves and I transplant them where they are out of way. some years plants have been small and others very large. Give plant plenty of room they will get larger. Cherries will fall off when ripe and golden. I like to let mine sit in a cardboard box (I use beer flat) for a few days so they all ripen well and are nice and dry. They are time consuming to pick. Every time I walk by them I fill my pockets and empty when get to house. I will give customers a free sample if they have never tasted them before. Because of the time factor I sell for $3.00 per pint with husks on. If they are a little green they will not be as sweet, but will ripen if left to set.

I saw Cape Gooseberries(ground cherries)for sale in a large market in southwest Michigan this past weekend. A 6 ounce container(half pint)was $2.50. Although I didn't need any of these since I have quite a few plants growing in the garden, I thought I might try them anyway just to see if they were any better than what I was growing, (pineapple variety). The source was Columbia, and the name on the package was Treasure Berries.

A taste test made me wish I had been able to sample them in the store before buying the container. They were the worst tasting variety I had ever eaten!! No major sweetness to them at all. I don't know if they were picked a little green for shipping, or what. I know the ones I grow, must be allowed to fall from the bush before they are edible. They just don't ripen anymore if they are picked off the plant. These looked ripe, since the color was a bright orange, even brighter than what I harvest. The odor wasn't unpleasant, just a little fruity smelling. I did try to save some seed from them, in case it turned out to be a really a good variety that had not been allowed to ripen.

It's too bad that produce like this is offered for sale.
I've seen the same thing with peaches early in the season. They are on display, bright red, and still not ripe. They will rot without ever ripening to edibility.

GG

Here is a link that might be useful: Cape Gooseberries

My friends who live in Columbia always talk about a ground cherry that folks eat there that is different than the Aunt Mollies and Pineapples that I grow here in North Carolina. But they also usually eat it as a jelly or preserve and not fresh off the plant.

I have several chefs that are interested (after I let them taste a few samples) in cape goose berries for next year. The problem is I have no idea what to charge. Any suggestions?
Mike

We're certified organic and charge $2.00 for a strawberry sized basket.

gponder,

And a strawberry sized basket would be a quart, pint?

Would those be with the husk or without? Those I bought a few months ago were without. It takes forever to pull those off. I wouldn't sell them cleaned, since I don't know of any quick way to remove them. Just wondering, thanx.

GG

thanks all..I hadnt thought of selling them. We pick what grow wild in the garden to sell for flower arrangements. The ones here are perennial and have a stout, deep root. Large, upright plants. Same thing as the cape gooseberry? I'll have to think about intentionally planting them :D

GG
The basket is a pint and I sell with the husks intact. A good selling point is that the husks keep the fruit inside viable and tasty for up to 6 weeks at room temperature. I'm thinking of trying some of the varieties listed in the SSE members catalog. I keep looking for the "perfect" ground cherry. Large and sweet! I'll let you know if I find it.
Glenda

In 2007 I did really well at the Farmer's Market selling ground cherries. I offered samples and the pints sold quickly. I charged only $1.50 each. Most of the fruit was a couple of volunteer plants that were probably the Pineapple variety that I purchased from Pinetree Seeds many years ago. I was very disappointed with the New Hanover variety with the low yield and the very late harvest date. This year I did not bring them to the market since my seed did not germinate. My volunteers were not very prolific and the maturation date for most was in October. I did not want to waste time with the tedious harvest process. For 2009 I want a prolific and early yielding variety. I like the idea of harvesting the fruit by raising the plant and surrounding it with a ground covering. Does anyone have insight into germination problems with ground cherries? My seed was fresh. I am thinking that since there are thousands of volunteers in my gardens, that freezing the seed might be helpful.

My 2 main stays are Pineapple and Aunt Mollies. Some of the larger varieties have a very long growing season and do not fruit for me. Germination for me has not been a problem. I use a light seed starting mix and bottom heat in my greenhouse. The air temp ranges from 45-80. Without bottom heat germination was hit and miss and took quite some time. Good Luck.

"Does anyone have insight into germination problems with ground cherries?"

Years ago, I started these from seed I'd saved from one plant I'd bought as a transplant (before I learned they reseed like crazy), and I was quite successful ~ I think dang near every one sprouted for me. I don't remember about specifics on how I started them, but I do remember I fermented them when I saved them like you do tomato seed. Maybe that is getting in your way?

Here's a good tutorial on how to do it. I'd bet you could grind up a store-bought tomato that you've removed the seeds from, add the ground cherry seeds to that and proceed as normal. A couple tips to make it easier (now and if you do this in the future on other tomatoes/tomatillos) ~

1. Whir the entire tomato/tomatillo in a blender with a few cups of water for just a second or two (literally a second or two or you'll pulverize all the seeds instead of just a few ~ use the "pulse" setting).

2. Once it's finished fermenting I simply add more water, stir vigorously, let it settle for a few minutes and pour the goo off the top. The healthy seeds settle to the bottom and the nonviable ones float so you'll get better germination from the seeds you do save. And doing it this way eliminates the straining step. Easey-peasey.

I also agree with GPonder that they like things warm, so I'll bet some bottom heat in your climate will really help them.

Is fermentation really the key to germination success? Why do these plants self-sow so successfully? Perhaps there is a chilling requirement? Maybe I should store my seeds in the refrigerator for successful germination? Any thoughts?

Abbie

I've not stored any seeds in the refrigerator and still had success, so I'm thinking chilling isn't needed. It makes sense since I believe tomatoes and tomatillos are native to areas that don't get very cold, so wouldn't have developed a need for stratification. I'm not an expert and could be wrong, but from what I've read/experienced, that's what I've surmised.

From what I understand, tomatoes self-seed well because the coating you remove during fermentation (the dried gel sac) keeps them from sprouting too soon. It's slowly weathered away over the winter and in spring the seed sprouts. If that protective coating weren't present, the seeds would likely sprout on a warm winter day when it's too early for the seedlings. Since we're collecting the seeds instead of leaving them to the elements over the winter, we have to remove that protective coating or we'll get spotty germination when we do sow them.

If tomatillos are the same (and I'd bet they are), then fermentation probably is the key to success.

I don't think they need chilling. I forgot a few fruits when I cleaned out the plants in my greenhouse. It's cold up here so I grow mine in raised beds. About a month after harvest I noticed some new sprouts and I continued to find and pull them well into late fall.

I sell my ground cherries for one dollar a pint.

Does anyone have anything to add about the different varieties and where to get seed? Also, has anyone tried growing them in containers?