Let us get one thing straight right away, although they are called ‘cherries’ these are not really cherries at all. They are closer relatives to tomatoes and tomatillos. Ok, now that we have that out of the way we can now look at how to grow ground cherries.

You have to keep in mind that these plants are heirlooms and the seeds can be very hard to come by. The plant itself does produce a lot of fruit all summer long, so that is indeed a good thing. They have a pineapple, vanilla like flavor that goes well with your chutneys, pies as well as jams.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• ground cherry seeds
• compost
• organic fertilizer
• mulch
• stakes
• container or pot (optional)
• potting soil (optional)

The perfect time to start your seeds would be 6 to 8 weeks before Spring. You can transplant the seedlings into pots or raised beds. If outside in the garden make sure that you plant them in well drained soil, that has compost worked well into it.

Stakes will help keep your plant and fruit off the ground. These are in most cases very resistant to disease and pests. However, they may succumb to flee-beetles at times. They should be ready to harvest within 70 days of planting. They turn a bright yellow color and fall to the ground. Pick them and store them for up to 90 days in your root cellar. Otherwise, you can also dry them for longer storage.

You can get more information on the Mother Earth News blog, here…

How To Grow Ground Cherries

You can watch the video below on how to save ground cherry seeds…

You can watch the video below on how to plant ground cherry seeds…

You can watch the video below on tips for growing ground cherries…

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