Topic: Caped Gooseberrys

[carloso]

I bought some caped gooseberrys last year and due to nothing else but lack of time i chucked em in to keep em growing

Can anyone tell me when they can be moved

They have there little lanterns on them now with a little fruit in them should i cut them back to the ground or .....

any advice greatly appreiciated on growing moving looking after and pruning please

Carlos

[saddad]

Not played with Phaslis (?) myself Carlos...
 ???

[carloso]

Physalis peruviana   i'd have had trouble spelling it too lol

[Georgie]

Carloso.  Physallis are not frost hardy so most people grow them as annuals because they grow so easily from seed.  But they can be overwintered in a frost free greenhouse and if you can do that, I'd suggest you cut them back quite hard.  Thereafter there is no need to prune unless they outgrow their alloted space (which peruviana are apt to do). 

G x

[Si]

I have had no luck overwintering in a frost-free greenhouse. They seem to die as annuals. I recommend that you pick them now because often the fruit dries up with the plant. You can store them for several months indoors.

[jennym]

My cape gooseberries went over in early November when the frosts came, about Bonfire night, I think. Once they get hit by frost, they go soggy and generally that's it.
If the fruit is very small, it's unlikely to ripen off the plant - I find that if the fruit is at least grape sized and is yellow/orange and the husk is very dry, then is you keep them in a place where the air can circulate freely around them, they will keep for a month or so, but green ones just go rotten instead of ripening.