I’m in
trigued by these prolific, pineapple-tasting fruits. They grow like tomatoes and the fruits have been popular at Old Stone House/Washington Park garden near Benji’s school inGowanus. Here are some Ground Cherry (Physalis pruinosa) factoids collected from
Organic Gardening and Seed Savers.org:
- Easy to grow, prolific, and super sweet.
- Plants have a sprawling habit
- The ½-¾” fruits are encased in a papery husk that turns brown when the fruits ripen. Stores 3-4 weeks in the husk.
- Ground cherries bear fruit about 70 days from transplant (late July to August) and continue until frost.
- Can be used for preserves, pies, over ice cream, or in fresh fruit salads.
- Excellent results when grown on landscape cloth, which suppresses weeds and makes fruit collecting easier.
Anyone else intrigued? 🙂 –Denise
Concord Village EarthLab 
I’ve had ground cherries and they are indeed sweet and taste sort of like a pineapple. They grow on a sort of bush like plant that doesn’t grow taller than 18″ or so. They sort of remind me of the jack-o-lantern type plants with a papery outer shell (only beige colored when ripe). Kids would like them…are you thinking of planting them at the CV garden?
yes, sound like a good idea?
Sounds great. Where?
Maybe with tomatoes, if they are compatible? Or in the strawberry bed, if those move?