Physalis pruinosa

You have to try this ancient favourite! The Ground Cherry (Husk Tomato) produces bite-sized fruit with an awesome, exotic flavour often described as a mix of pineapple and tomato. The fruit is ready to harvest when the outer husks turn a straw colour and the fruit inside is golden yellow. This determinate variety is highly prolific. It is best used fresh in salsa and stews, and is also an heirloom favourite for making unique jams, pie filling, and preserves.

What you need to know to Plant & Grow

Though related to the tomato, the ground cherry is a determinate bush that requires similar care and heat.

Sow Indoors: Start seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date. Use a peat moss-based growing mix.

Germination: The temperature of the seeding mix should be 21°C to 24°C for prompt germination, which occurs in 10 to 14 days.

Seedling Care: When the seedlings are 4 cm high, transplant each into individual pots, reducing the temperature to 15°C to 18°C until planting outside.

Transplanting: After hardening off, transplant into well-drained organic soil in late May. Space the plants 60 cm apart (for determinate varieties).

Culture: Ground cherries need warmth, direct sunlight, and a steady supply of water. Keep plants well-watered, applying the water to the soil rather than showering down over the plants.

Soil Management: It is very important to keep plants evenly watered as fluctuations in available soil moisture can lead to problems like fruit cracking or splitting. Apply a mulch of straw around plants to protect them from soil-borne diseases and help conserve moisture. Rotate the crop position in the garden every year; wait three years before using the same patch again. Dig out and discard diseased plants; do not compost.

Approx. 30 seeds/pkt