When ordering dessert in a restaurant last week I was stuck when trying to make a difficult choice – honey and white chocolate cheesecake or bread and butter pudding? I ended up choosing the cheesecake and I was surprised to see it served with a beautifully decorative Cape Gooseberry (Physalis edulis). And yes, the cheesecake was very good too!
I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d had the pleasure of eating a cape gooseberry and like most things, you forget just how good they are. The gooseberry was quite tart but with some sweetness and it worked so well with the rich and sweet cheesecake. I was converted and I now need to grow a few plants for this year.
These plants, like most of the Solanum family, are quite easy to grow and are perfect for starting any time now and up until April, to ensure a good crop. As with most seeds, simply sow them on to good quality seed compost and cover with more compost or vermiculite in trays or modules under cover. Try to keep your newly sown seeds at around 20-24 degrees Celsius and they should then germinate at the optimum level.
When your seeds have germinated, generally after around 10 days, ensure that they get plenty of sun light and water them regularly to avoid the compost drying out. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out and place them in to individual pots so that they can grow on unimpeded. As plants grow and develop make sure you check the base of pots for roots searching out water and nutrients and repot them as and when needed.
Plants can be grown in both greenhouses and outdoors in milder areas. Plant outside from May to June. Plants will grow quite large, very much like Tomatillos, and these may need staking with a bamboo cane or two. If you find that plants are becoming very bushy or tall you can simply pinch out any side shoots or tips. It’s very important that plants are kept well watered, especially when in flower and when fruit is setting.
To buy Cape Gooseberry seeds simply click here.
