Even though they have been grown in North America for a long time, ground cherries (Physalis pruinosa) are not well known. Aunt Molly’s is a famous heirloom variety that has been grown by Pennsylvania Germans since the 1800s. They are simple to grow in the yard and don’t have many problems with pests or diseases.
Their small, orange-yellow fruits taste sweet and sour, like pineapple, with a hint of tomato in the background. Tolons and ground cherries are both in the same plant family, Solanaceae.
A husk tomato is another name for this fruit. This is because the fruit grows inside a husk that looks a little like a tomato when it is green. Although they are called “cherries,” these plants are not related to real cherries (Prunus spp.).
It looks like a small bush with bright green leaves that are toothed along the edges. In the summer, they have yellow flowers. Like their related plant, the tomatillo, they bear fruit in late summer to early fall that is wrapped in a papery husk.
Spring is the time to plant ground cherries. Every year they grow quickly because they are annuals and finish their life cycle in one season. Before you plant, you should know that all parts of ground cherry trees are poisonous to people and animals except the fruit.
Common Name: Strawberry tomato, ground cherry, and husk tomato
Plant Name: Physalis pruinosa Family: Solanaceae
Type of plant: annual, fruit tree, or bush
Grown-up Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and wide
Being in the sun: Sunshine
Type of Soil: Loamy, sandy, and well-drained soil
Grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4–8 during the summer.
Place of birth: Central America
How toxic: Bad for people and pets
Tips for Planting Ground Cherries
When to Plant
You can start the seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the last cold snap in the spring, or you can do it outside after the risk of frost has passed.
Selecting a Place to Plant
Ground cherries are simple to grow in regular yard beds, raised beds, or pots. Make sure the dirt where you plant can drain well and gets a lot of sun. Look around to see if there are any bigger trees or bushes that could shade your ground cherries too much during the day.
Support, Space, and Depth
There should be at least 2 feet between ground cherry plants. When planting young plants, they should be put down at the same depth as they were in their last pot. It’s best to put seeds only about 1/4 inch deep.
Supports, like a tomato cage or poles, can help keep the plant from falling over when the fruits start to fall.
Conditions for Growing
Ground cherries need steady rain to grow well. Once or twice a week, depending on the weather, you should water them. Mulch keeps the earth moist by stopping water from evaporating. This means that roots can always get water.
Also, it breaks down organic mulch, which keeps the earth healthy at the right temperature and stops weeds from growing. You can get rid of weeds by using mulch, pulling them out by hand, hoeing, and planting cover crops when the growing season is over.
When you feed ground cherries, you should use slow-release fertilizers with the right amount of N, P, and K. If you want to use something organic that will improve the soil over time, compost, well-rotted dung, or fish emulsion are all excellent choices.
Take Care of Ground Cherry
Light
Cherry pits do best in full sun, which means they get at least six hours of straight sunlight every day. They can grow in some shade, but it’s likely that they will make fewer flowers.
Soil
These plants don’t care too much about the type of dirt they grow in. But they do best in soil that drains well, has a lot of organic matter, and has a pH that is slightly acidic.
Water
Ground cherries need about an inch of water a week and like the soil to be pretty wet. When it’s dry, the plants may lose their flowers without making any fruit. If it hasn’t rained in a week, you should water your plants at least once. If it’s really hot, you might need to do it more often.
How hot or humid it is
In the areas where they grow, ground cherries can handle heat well. As high as 85°F is fine for them, but they do best when it’s between 55°F and 65°F. But cold can kill the plants.
Frost could hurt your ground cherries before they’re ripe if you live in a cooler area. To protect them, cover your plants with row covers or even a big piece of fabric. These plants don’t usually have a problem with humidity.
Plant food
Adding dirt to the soil makes ground cherries grow better. If you need to, you can mix poor soil with an organic fertilizer made just for fruits and veggies.
Pollination
The ground cherries will pollinate themselves, and bees and other pollinators will come to the yard to help.
Different Kinds of Ground Cherries
There are several kinds of ground cherries, such as
A variety called “Aunt Molly’s” is the most popular. It grows straight up and bushy.
“Cossack Pineapple”: This type tastes slightly sour and sweet, like pineapple.
“Goldie”: This type is a lot like “Aunt Molly’s,” but it grows a little less tall and spreads out more.
Advantages of Growing Ground Cherries
Value for Nutrition
There are many health benefits to ground cherries. They contain iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B3, and vitamin B6.
You need these nutrients for healthy eyes, skin, muscles, nerves, brain growth, making energy, moving oxygen around your body, digesting food, and making blood flow.
Uses in cooking
Cherry powder is useful in many cooking settings because it has a sweet and sour taste. You can cook them down to make jam, put them in sweets like pies, tarts, and cakes, or use them to make sauces for meats or fish.
They’re excellent as a fresh snack.You can also blend them into drinks to make them sweeter and healthier.
Garden Benefits
Bugs that are beneficial for you, like bees and other bugs, come to your yard to visit each ground cherry flower. This gets more pollinators to work, which makes the ecosystem livelier and more effective.
Growing ground cherries not only gives you tasty fruit, but it also adds variety and health to your yard.
Harvesting
The husk dries out and turns brown. The fruit inside the husk turns orange or golden yellow and feels hard. It’s now time to gather the ground cherries. Grown-up ground cherries often fall off the plant when they are fully ripe.
From late summer to early fall, they are ready to be picked.
There are several ways to pick fruit: look for ripe fruit, carefully remove it, gather and sort it, or use garden shears or scissors for large amounts.
As you handle and store ripe ground cherries, they need to be dried in a cool, dry place to get rid of any water. This will help them last longer. In the husks, they’ll last for one to two weeks.
In the fridge, they’ll last longer.
When you pick the plant often, it makes more fruit, and when you get rid of ripe fruit, it doesn’t get too ripe and go bad. If you watch them carefully and pick them the right way, you can get a lot of sweet, tasty fruits.
How to Store and Eat Ground Cherries
One way to keep ground cherries is at room temperature. Another is in the fridge. Still another way is frozen, dried, and thawed. You can freeze them for up to six to twelve months or keep them in their husks for one to two weeks. You can use frozen cherry powder in drinks, sauces, or baked goods.
They can also be dried in the air or in a food dryer that is set to the right temperature. They can be kept in cool, dark places in bags or cases that don’t let air in. You can make jam, salsa, pie, soups, sauce, muffins, and ground cherry jam with ground cherries.
If you store ground cherries in these ways and use these recipes, you can enjoy their unique taste all year long. If you store them in these ways, you can get the most out of your harvest and enjoy their unique taste in many meals.
Conclusion
Adding ground cherries to your garden is enjoyable and satisfying because they taste different and don’t need much care. They do well in many different types of weather and are good for both new and experienced growers.
You can eat the fruit of your ground cherry plants, and it’s enjoyable to grow something that can be used in many ways. Give them a try and enjoy the food that you grew yourself.