Giant Cape Gooseberry

Fruit is approximately 1 inch. The leaves are fuzzy, green-grey and different from other Physalis. Plant grows from 1 to 2-1/2 feet tall. Fruits average 1 inch in diameter, with some reaching 2 inches.

What is the difference between a gooseberry and a cape gooseberry?

The Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis, or amla) is light green and extremely bitter. The Cape gooseberry – sometimes called a Peruvian cherry – is yellow-orange and surrounded by a paper-thin husk that falls off as it dries.

How long does it take to grow cape gooseberry?

Cape gooseberries are self-pollinated but pollination can be improved by a gentle shaking of the flowering stems or giving the plants a light spraying with water. After pollination the fruit takes 70 to 80 days to mature. If you are short on space Cape Gooseberries will grow well in a large pot.

Can you eat cape gooseberries?

Cape gooseberries are flexible: they can be consumed raw or cooked, and they work well in savory and sweet dishes. Add ground cherries to a green salad, salsa, relish, or chutney. Their husks aren't edible, but keep them on -- just peeled back (1) -- and they're ready to be dipped in chocolate or used as a garnish.

How long do cape gooseberry bushes last?

It grows as a shrub about one metre high and produces orange berries encased in a paper lantern-like calyx. Although it is a perennial in the tropics, it is short lived, producing at best in the first two years.

Do cape gooseberries come back every year?

Is cape gooseberry a perennial? Cape gooseberry plants are perennial in the tropics and annual in other temperate regions where they are grown.

What are the benefits of eating cape gooseberries?

Cape gooseberries are a good source of vitamin C, which can help boost your immunity and is also good for your skin. Cape gooseberries are also rich in fibre, which helps prevents constipation. It also calms the gastro-intestinal tract.

Are cape gooseberries invasive?

It is classed as invasive by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG, 2012) and included by Weber (2003) in his guide to environmental weeds.

Can cape gooseberry survive winter?

While they can sometimes be grown outside in milder regions of the UK, these plants are not frost hardy. However, they can survive with a little extra winter protection in a frost-free polytunnel and are perennial, so if you take good care of them then you could be rewarded with a crop over several years.

Do cape gooseberries need trellis?

Gooseberries develop side shoots that produce fruit, which allows them to be trained up trellises or along walls. Trellising can help increase air circulation, which reduces the chance that your plants will contract a fungal disease.

Do cape gooseberries spread?

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 1.5m of space. Spacing closer works but you may get less fruit.

Do gooseberries need a trellis?

Gooseberries will need a trellis that is in the full sun to part shade to thrive. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. Water regularly.

What happens if you eat too many gooseberries?

Eating too many of these berries in any form can cause diarrhea (46).

What are the side effects of gooseberries?

Bleeding disorders: Indian gooseberry might increase the risk of bleeding or bruising in some people. If you have a bleeding disorder, use Indian gooseberry with caution. Surgery: Indian gooseberry might increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.

Are cape gooseberries a nightshade?

Even when it has looked sad and scraggly in the winter, it comes roaring back in the spring and summer, yielding versatile fruit during the summer months that can be eaten out of hand (Cape gooseberry is a nightshade and its fruit may be poisonous if eaten before it is ripe), canned, or made into dessert.

Are cape gooseberries easy to grow?

The Cape gooseberry is so-called as it is widely cultivated in South Africa, but it actually hails from Peru. It's a perennial but is easy to grow from seed and is usually sown every year in a similar way to tomatoes – better crops are produced this way.

Are cape gooseberries poisonous to dogs?

Overview. No, cape gooseberry are unsafe for dogs to eat. Unripened cape gooseberries and the plant's leaves and flowers contain alkaloids, which are highly poisonous to dogs.

Do gooseberry bushes need lots of water?

Watering is seldom required but in very dry spells water every 14 days. Container-grown gooseberries often struggle in dry conditions, so carefully monitor their watering.

How long does it take for cape gooseberries to bear fruit?

They take approximately 180 days from sowing to harvest.

How long does it take for a gooseberry bush to bear fruit?

Gooseberries fruit on 2-3-year-old wood. They tend not to fruit on soft new growth. However, over time if these older branches are left unchecked they will soon start to produce fewer and fewer fruits over time as they come to the end of their lifespan.