Growing Cape Gooseberry, also Golden Berry, Inca Berry

Physalis peruviana : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
              S S S S S
                T T T T
              P P P P P

(Best months for growing Cape Gooseberry in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 77°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 39 - 59 inches apart
  • Harvest in 14-16 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Will happily grow in a flower border but tends to sprawl over other plants.
  • Cape Gooseberry plant
  • Flowers
  • unripe fruit

A straggling bush up to one metre tall that bears yellow fruits inside a brown papery envelope. It is perennial. The cape gooseberry is related to tomatillo, ground cherry and husk tomato, all in the genus Physalis.

Cape Gooseberry is very easy to grow and as the fruit are popular with birds the plants can be easily spread around the garden. If you have plenty of room then plants grow better with 1.5 m of space. Spacing closer works but you may get less fruit.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cape Gooseberry

The berry is the size of a cherry tomato, is very aromatic and full of tiny seeds. They are delicious eaten fresh or can be made into jam. They can be added to salads, desserts and cooked dishes, they are delicious stewed with other fruit, especially apples. They also go well in savoury dishes with meat or seafood. Can be preserved dried as 'Inca Berries'

Your comments and tips

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for Australia | for all countries
29 Feb 24, Isabel Clarke (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
A colleague gave me 5 or 6 fruit from her tree and said I could just pop the whole fruit into a pot and it will grow? Will it or do I need to open up the fruit and take seed out? Pls can you tell me what to do with them?? Thanks :)
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19 Mar 24, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Just break it open and scatter the seeds about 100mm apart - best for when you go to transplant them.
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01 Nov 23, Annie (Australia - temperate climate)
I'd like to buy inca berry/ cape gooseberry plants or seeds. Does anyone have some for sale? In Gippsland. TIA
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22 Nov 23, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try the internet seed selling sites.
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09 Oct 23, Rowan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have a problem with my Cape gooseberries that I have been growing from self seeded plants for several years. The fruit is developing in the shell and can be felt with light pressure to be about pea size. But suddenly the fruit disappears. The shells are still there, green and appear undisturbed i.e no grub or bird holes , but the fruit has gone. It does not appear to be birds as i have netted the plants. I have sprayed the plants with eco oil and there is no obvious sign of insect activity. there has been some nibling of the plants not covered by the nets, probably possums, but no sign of their activity under the nets. Any suggestions?
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27 Oct 24, Margaret (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am also having the same problem. Fruit getting to about pea size then drying up. There is a hole in the case as though an insect has come out of it. Did you receive any response to your pist?
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15 Apr 23, Annabelle (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I have grown tomatillos for several years -they usually grow from self seeding. This season, very strangely a whole lot of seedlings self grew but they have turned into what looks like Cape gooseberries - which I have never grown in my garden at all.. they have the cases and are yellow and small. I am very confused.( I also am harvesting tomatillos at the moment from self seeded plants. Definitely different plants.) Is there some sort of regressive hybrid or genetic weirdness going on here?
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01 Oct 22, Sue (Australia - temperate climate)
My gooseberries have been growing in a pot since autumn and have fruited now. Can I transplant them now in spring or should I wait for cooler weather?
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03 Oct 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Should be ok - just keep all the soil around the roots.
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15 Aug 22, Anna (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
In Sydney my cape gooseberries got black when they were grumpy about inconsistent watering, esp if the weather was very hot.
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Showing 1 - 10 of 393 comments
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Have a cape gooseberry going on 3 summers now. Not much fruit in first year, bucket load in 2nd summer, now bucket loads in 3rd summer. Red spider mites would attack it from about March through to start of winter, but we just cut it back to about 20cm from base and the spider mites disappear heading into the winter. Noticed about a month ago after the hot weather hit, that alot of new flowers would just fall off at the slightest touch. Put this down to lack of water, so we placed sugar cane mulch to about 6 inches thick and out to a radius of about a meter, then stretched shade cloth over the mulch and pegged down (to keep the blackbirds from destroying the mulch). Under the mulch cover we also placed weaper hose and had this going for a few hours each day, and problem soon resolved with loads more flowers and setting fruit.

- Brad

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