Planting physalis: when, where & how?

It is possible to grow delicious physalis berries in this part of the world. Discover everything you need to know about planting and growing physalis in your own garden.

Physalis (Physalis peruviana), also known as the Cape gooseberry or Inca berry, is becoming more and more popular in the UK. This is not only because it looks beautiful, but also because of its delicious tasting berries and how easy it is to grow. Here we will show you how to plant physalis and what to look out for when growing Cape gooseberry.

Physalis looks pretty similar to its relative the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), which is also a nightshade plant (Solanaceae). They also have similar needs in terms of location, nutrient requirements and cultivation. With a little luck and the following instructions, you will be able to enjoy your Cape gooseberry for many years.

Growing physalis: the right location

Physalis can adapt to most soil types – it will grow almost anywhere. However, to ensure your plant produces lots of fruit, do not plant it in freshly fertilised soil. In a soil with too many nutrients, it tends to produce lots of foliage but hardly any flowers or fruits. The best results can be achieved in rather sandy and normal garden soil. The soil also needs to be sufficiently moist, so you may have to reach for the garden hose from time to time. Cape gooseberries are true sun lovers, so they do not flower well and bear hardly any fruit in semi-shady locations.

Tip: When choosing a location, make sure that there is good airflow: avoid growing the plants too close together and in still air. Otherwise, the plants can easily suffer from infestations of fungal diseases or pests such as whitefly and thrips.

When to plant physalis?

The best time to plant physalis depends on how you choose to plant them. When it comes to planting physalis, you have the following three options:

1. Sow physalis seeds in seed trays from February and transplant them outdoors in mid-May
2. Use cuttings from the previous year and plant them out in mid-May
3. Buy and transplant potted plants from a nursery in mid-May

As physalis plants are not frost-hardy, take care not to plant them out until the last frost has passed. This is usually around mid-May.

Growing physalis in pots or garden beds?

The decision on whether to grow physalis in a pot or in a bed depends on whether you want an annual or perennial physalis plant. For annual crops it is easier to grow the plants in a bed and leave them in this location all year. After harvesting, take cuttings from the best plants to ensure a successful crop the following year. If you plan to overwinter your plants, it is best to plant them in pots from the start to avoid having to dig the plants up.

Choose a pot with holes for excess water to drain away, as physalis does not tolerate waterlogging. The pot should be at least 30 centimetres in diameter with a depth of 50 centimetres to provide enough space for the plant.

When growing physalis in pots, use a good potting soil mixed with some sand, gravel, expanded clay or perlite. A high-quality compost such as our Plantura Organic Flower Compost provides a gradual supply of nutrients without overfeeding the physalis.

Summary: Should you grow physalis in a pot or a bed?

• For your plant to produce the most fruit, plant physalis in regular garden soil that has not been freshly fertilised
• The best results are obtained in sandy soils with a medium nutrient content, which are kept sufficiently moist
• Choose the cultivation method best suited to your needs: in a garden bed for annual plants or in a pot for overwintering a perennial plant

Tip: Physalis grown in pots for several years need to be fertilised annually, despite their rather low nutrient requirements, because the reserves in the pot are limited. A long-acting, plant-based fertiliser such as our Plantura Flower Food is ideal for this. Simply sprinkle and work in the fertiliser granules around the plant then cover with fresh soil.

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Sowing or planting physalis?

The question of whether to sow or plant is one of cost, as seeds are much cheaper than buying young plants.

It is also worth noting that plants grown from seed do not start to bear fruit until September, as they are adapted to longer growing seasons than we have here. On the other hand, if you transplant plants grown from cuttings, purchased young plants or overwintered plants around mid-May, you will gain an extra four weeks to harvest the Inca berries. Perennial cultivation by overwintering physalis is worthwhile in order to save money and enjoy a longer harvest period.

Sowing physalis seeds

You can start sowing the seeds from January onwards. To do this, you will need a soil that is as low in nutrients as possible to promote strong root growth. Use a high-quality and loose growing soil like our Plantura Organic Herb & Seedling Compost.

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Tip: You can either buy seeds at your local nursery or online. However, it is also possible to save them yourself from the pulp of the berries. Dry the seeds very well by spreading them on a piece of greaseproof paper or kitchen roll and placing them in the sun. The seeds can then be kept in a tin until January, when they are needed again. Make sure that they are not exposed to too much moisture, as the seeds could easily turn mouldy.

Fill the seed plug trays or pots with compost and evenly sprinkle three seeds into each pot, spacing them about 5 cm apart. Cover the seeds thinly with soil then press down evenly and water the pots. Use a small spray bottle for this to avoid the seeds being washed away.

Now place the prepared seed trays in a bright, warm place (20 – 24 °C) – preferably in a small propagation greenhouse. This prevents the delicate germinating seeds from drying out. However, the seed trays should only be kept in the propagation greenhouse until the first seedlings emerge.

To avoid fungal diseases, take the seedlings out of the propagation house as soon as possible. If the spot where you have placed the propagation containers is too dark, you can use a grow light. The plants can be separated and placed outside during the day as soon as the weather conditions outside allow it, that is, as soon as the temperatures rise above 10 °C.

If the plants are getting too crowded in the small pots or already have a few green leaves, transplant them into a more nutrient-rich soil such as our Plantura Organic Flower Compost. As previously mentioned, add a little sand, perlite or expanded clay to the compost to make the soil more permeable.

Transplanting physalis

From mid-May onwards, no more late frosts are expected, so it is time to plant out the physalis – both home-grown and purchased young plants. Choose a sunny, sheltered location, preferably near a wall that can store heat to keep the plant warm overnight. Dig a hole that is about five to ten centimetres larger in diameter than the pot. Mix gravel or sand into heavy clayey and loamy soils to ensure good aeration of the soil. Add a little potting compost to very light soils to help the soil retain more water.

Then place the physalis into the planting hole and fill with the mixed soil. Press down the fresh soil and water the young plants well. When planting, space the plants about half a metre apart to ensure good air circulation between them. When planting in a pot, mix sand, expanded clay, perlite or gravel into the potting soil too. A sunny and sheltered location near a wall is also ideal for growing physalis in a pot.

Tip: Like tomatoes, physalis are non-woody, herbaceous plants. As a result, they benefit greatly from a trellis, such as a wooden or metal frame that runs all the way around the plant. This way the physalis is less likely to collapse and the thin branches will not break off as easily.

How to plant physalis:

1. Dig a hole larger than the root ball
2. Loosen the soil and improve with sand (heavy soils) or potting compost (light soils)
3. Place the physalis plant in the planting hole
4. Fill with mixed soil
5. Press down evenly
6. Water generously
7. Set up the trellis and tie the plants to it

Tip: Although not frost-hardy, the physalis can be overwintered frost-free and will produce even more abundant yields over several years. To do so, bring indoors in October before the frost and keep it in a cool but bright place at about 10 to 15 °C like a conservatory. Prune the physalis when bringing indoors and create new plants with the cuttings. Pruning ensures that the plant branches out bushily. It then remains inside until mid-May.

Good companion plants for physalis

When growing physalis as part of a mixed cropping system, it should be planted with good companion plants. Cape gooseberry grows very well alongside less nutrient-hungry vegetable plants. These include lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), onion plants (Allium sp.) and cabbage (Brassica sp.), as well as strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa). Calendula officinalis is effective at keeping soil nematodes at bay.

On the other hand, poor companion plants for this nightshade are its heavy-feeding relatives, such as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), aubergines (Solanum melongena), peppers (Capsicum annuum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). There is a risk of disease transmission here, as well as too many nutrients being taken out of the soil, which can lead to soil leaching.