Hi,

I'm thinking about growing tomatillos and maybe "Giant Ground Cherry" Physalis peruviana. Have any of you grown them? In your experience, are they easier than tomatoes, or about the same?

I live in an area where it's fairly difficult to grow tomatoes. We have nematodes and a lot of other pests and diseases. The summers are long, humid, and hot--too hot for most tomatoes to set fruit. We have two growing seasons, spring and fall, but they can be short, so timing is important. Plant a little too late and you won't have tomatoes.

I was wondering if either of these Physalis would be easier under the these conditions. Or would they be even more difficult?

The only Physalis I have grown is a the regular ground cherry, "Cossack Pineapple." (P. pruinosa). One season it was fantastic, but the next a tiny worm bored into the husks and devoured almost all the fruits. Still, I liked them so much I would like to try other "husk tomatoes."

"Giant Ground Cherry" appeals to me because it is supposed to behave more like a perennial, but I don't know if that would be true in my climate. How much heat and humidity can it take?

I would use the tomatillos not only green for salsa etc, but picked fully ripe and enjoyed like large ground cherries.

Thank you.

Bill