Tussiemussie's Garden

Cape Gooseberry

Species: Physalis.

Quite tender when plants are young don't plant out too early
Hardy when fully grown fruits well into the Autumn, and keeps for 2 or three weeks in caylix. Let fruit ripen fully on plantsweet when ripe sour if picked too early.
Propagation - choose one or two large fruits to save seed,
squashfruit and spread out seed on kitchem paper Let it dry, label.
The following year, April, fill a seed tray lay on seed sheet cover lightly with more seed compost and water, pot up in bio degradeable pot and plant when danger of frost over.
Apparently these fruits are perennial, so I will try cutting back after fruiting, and protect with fleece overwinter which might give an earlier crop.

Photos of this plant

Reminders for this plant

Due about 16 years ago:

Planting

If some fruit drop and you find seedlings in autumn, then pot and overwinter in the greenhouse for a very early crop next year, they make a good cherry tomato substitute before the tomatoes are ready.
They grow well from seeds saved from supermarket fruits.