How to Plant, Grow and Care for Ground Cherry

They’re on the ground, but they’re not cherries! This unique fruit is in the nightshade family, offering a little sweetness and umami flavor. Some varieties are sweeter than others, and the ‘Aunt Molly’s’ cultivar is reminiscent of a pineapple, so you’ll definitely want to try out more than one ground cherry plant to see if there’s one you like.

Unlike the tomatillo that ground cherries closely resemble and are related to, ground cherries grow close to the ground. Ripe ground cherries will fall out of their husks, so you’ll have to harvest them from the ground. You’ll probably want to heavily mulch the area if you don’t want your fruit on the dirt!

Ground cherries are a unique addition to any garden that you should try out if you haven’t already. Let’s take a look at how to grow so you can start finding the varieties you like best.

What is a Ground Cherry?

The paper husks of ground cherries may make you think of Chinese lanterns, but don’t confuse them with Physalis alkekengi, the plant actually called Chinese lantern! The ground cherry, Physalis pruinosa, is related to the tomatillo. Its scientific name means “bladder,” which refers to the outer husk. Lanterns are certainly a better visual!

Native Area

Ground cherry is native to parts of the Americas, including Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Venezuela. It is a perennial that returns each year in USDA hardiness zones 8 and higher and can be grown as an annual in cooler climates.

Characteristics

Ground cherry is indeterminate and will continue growing until it dies. Unlike tomatoes and tomatillos, ground cherries stay close to the ground, so you’ll need some space to let them sprawl.

Start the seeds indoors in late winter, transplant them outside in the spring, and you’ll get fruit in late summer and into fall. 

People grow ground cherry for the ripe fruit that falls to the ground. Every variety tastes a little different, but you can expect some sweetness from each one. Some varieties will seem savory, and others may taste like fruit with a hint of vanilla! You can use ground cherry fruits in pies, salsa, jams, and other dishes you might use tomatoes or fruit in.

Varieties

The Virginia ground cherry is native to the northeastern United States and is one of the few varieties that is a perennial down to zone 6. It’s slightly sweet, making it a decent option for jams and pies.

‘Aunt Molly’s’ is another sweet variety that tastes a bit like pineapple. The husks are much rounder than other varieties.

Physalis peruviana is known by several nicknames, like goldenberry, poha berry, Inca berry, and Peruvian ground cherry. It’s not as sweet as the ‘Aunt Molly’s’ variety, and it has a taller growth habit, reaching up to four feet. The husk comes to a point at the end.

Often called ‘Goldie’, Physalis pubescens has smaller fruit than other varieties, but it’s quite sweet and pairs well with chocolate.

Physalis grisea is often nicknamed the strawberry tomato or the grey ground cherry. It’s not as common as other varieties, but it’s fun to grow because the tiny little hairs make it look grey.

Planting

Start ground cherry seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. They need a long growing season, so it’s good to get a head start. Set the seeds an eighth of an inch deep and lightly cover them. The soil should be 70-90°F (21-32°C) and should stay moist to help the seeds germinate.

The germination process should take one to three weeks. You can keep your seedlings in a sunny window or use a grow light to make sure they get at least eight hours of light each day.

Transplant seedlings outside after all danger of frost has passed. If you want to move them to a container, choose something with a drainage hole so excess water can drain out. For best results, the container should be at least eight inches deep and twelve inches wide.

If you to grow your ground cherries outside, space them one and a half to two feet apart so they can have plenty of room to grow. Give them a thick layer of mulch to retain soil moisture, but make sure the soil is well-draining.

How to Grow

Now that you know how to start ground cherries, let’s learn how to keep them alive and happy. It’s easy if you’re able to give them the right conditions.

Light

Ground cherries thrive when they receive about eight hours of direct sunlight each day. A little shade during the hottest part of the day will help in hot climates. A bright, sunny location encourages vigorous growth, flowering, and the development of sweet, flavorful fruits. Too much shade will result in leggy shrubs with fewer flowers and therefore fewer fruit.

Water

Ground cherries usually need about one inch of water per week, but this can vary based on sunlight, rainfall, and how much water drains from your soil. You’ll likely need to water once per day in the peak of summer.

They don’t really have any requirements for humidity, but fungal diseases may spread easier if they stay damp.

Soil

Give your ground cherries loamy soil that’s rich in nutrients, and you won’t see them complain too often! Add organic matter like compost or leaf mold in the spring to give them a good start.

If there are enough nutrients in the soil, you may not have to fertilize them. They like slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0-6.8.

Temperature

Some varieties are best suited for hot climates like zones 8 or higher, while some varieties can grow as low as zone 4. Regardless of which kind you have, most ground cherries aren’t tolerant of cool weather and will need to be protected if the temperatures dip below 55°F (13°C). While they do like warm weather, they start to struggle when temperatures exceed 90°F (32°C).

Fertilizing

Ground cherries can be heavy feeders, which is why it’s so important to start them out with nutritious soil. But if you find them needing an extra boost throughout the season, give them a balanced all-purpose fertilizer. 

You can feed them every three to four weeks until they start fruiting, and then you can switch to every six weeks or so. Give them less nitrogen while they’re fruiting so they’ll focus on growing fruit instead of leaves.

Maintenance

Ground cherry shrubs don’t require pruning to stay healthy, but you may find them easier to manage if you do since they’re indeterminate.

Since they grow low to the ground, you may want to use a trellis to make them stand a little taller. However, ripened fruit fall, so you may not want them standing too tall!

Propagation

The easiest way to propagate ground cherries is by seed. You can save seeds by removing them from the fruit, washing away the fruit flesh, and allowing them to dry completely before you store them.

Much like tomatoes, you can create new shrubs from cuttings. Cut a stem that’s four to six inches long, dip it in rooting powder, and let it sit in a growing medium until roots appear. Once roots have grown, you can set them in a container or outdoors.

Harvesting

You’ll know to start harvesting ground cherries when you see them on the ground! Another sign is when the outer husk is open and completely dry. You can give them a gentle shake to knock ripe fruits off. If they drop off with that little tap or shake, they’re ready to eat.

Like other varieties in the nightshade family, ground cherries have slight toxicity when they’re green, and eating too many can result in an upset stomach. If you’re not sure when your cherries are ripe, only harvest the fallen fruit. Ripe ground cherries should not be green in color, and the husk will be dry and paper-like.

Storage

You can store ground cherries in the fridge if you harvested too many to eat at once. Fruits that are still in the husk can last for up to three months, while bare fruit will last up to ten days. If you harvest unripe fruit, you can let them ripen on the kitchen counter for a few days.

If you need to store them long-term, you can freeze, dehydrate, or can them. To freeze them, place them on a cookie sheet and let them sit in the freezer for a few hours. This will prevent them from sticking together. Once they’re frozen, you can move them to a freezer bag and store them for several months.

To dehydrate them, use a dehydrator or an oven. Use the lowest heat setting and let them dry out for several hours. They should last a few months once they’re completely dry.

Canning is also a popular method. You can store whole fruits or turn them into jam before canning them. This is an excellent way to store large amounts of fruit that should last you until next year.

Common Problems

You may run into a few problems while growing ground cherries, so let’s take a look at a few of them. Fortunately, many of them can be prevented!

Growing Problems

Temperatures are likely to be one of your biggest problems. You’ll want to grow them when the temperatures are between 55 and 90°F (13-32°C) since anything cooler or hotter than this will damage or kill them. Use a greenhouse to regulate temperatures or use frost cloth and shade cloths as needed.

Water may also be another problem. If they seem a little wilted, they probably need more water. They need at least one inch per week or likely a little more on hot days. Make sure your soil retains moisture while also letting extra water drain away.

If your ground cherries are stressed by temperature, water, nutrients, or other factors, you may notice fewer fruits, and they may drop unripened fruit. Correcting the problems should be enough to make them happy again.

Pests

You might see various beetles, including Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, and ground cherry leaf beetles. These pests eat up all the parts, including leaves, roots, stems, and fruit. You can pick them off by hand or use neem oil to kill the larvae.

There are plenty of worms to find on your ground cherries, including cutworms, tobacco hornworms, and tomato hornworms. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) works very well to handle many worm species; coat the leaves with this soil bacteria to reduce pest pressures from various caterpillar larvae.

Mites and whiteflies may also be a problem. Washing them off with water is the easiest way to get rid of them, but neem oil also works well.

Diseases

Ground cherries are generally pretty disease-resistant, but they may get early blight or verticillium wilt, which are both fungal diseases. You’ll notice them when you see brown or yellow spots on leaves and stems. 

You can’t cure most fungal diseases, so remove infected shrubs as soon as you see them. You can prevent them by applying a fungicide before the diseases appear and by making sure the climate is just right. Warm, humid temperatures make it easy for fungi to spread, so give them plenty of airflow if humidity is a problem.

Frequently Asked Questions