How to Grow Ground Cherry
Ground Cherry At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 4°C
Plant Family
Solanaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Our summers are too short for ground cherries to ripen a good crop from an outdoor sowing, so start them inside. Sow 2 to 3 seeds per small pot 0.5 cm deep, about 6 weeks before your last frost, and keep them warm: they sprout in 7 to 21 days. Plant them out about 2 weeks after the last frost, 75 cm apart, burying the stem a little deeper than it sat in the pot. Before planting out, set the pots outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours a day, a little longer each day for about a week, so they toughen up (this is called hardening off).
Ground cherries are a low, sprawling cousin of the tomatillo with sweet, golden fruit in papery husks that taste a little like pineapple. A single plant pollinates itself, so even one plant gives a crop. They drop seed easily, so expect a few surprise seedlings the next spring.
When To Start
Ground Cherry needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Ground Cherry?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Ground Cherry Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Ground Cherry Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Start ground cherry seeds indoors in a warm spot
6 weeks before your last frost
Plant ground cherries out, 75 cm apart
2 weeks after your last frost
Gather the golden ground cherries that have dropped
About 70 days after you plant it
Start hardening off your ground cherry seedlings: an hour outside today, a little longer each day.
4 days after your last frost
Water your new ground cherry plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your ground cherries are growing! They spread wide, so give them space and steady water.
About 44 days after you plant it
Almost snack time! Ripe ground cherries drop to the ground in golden papery husks, so check under the plants.
About 68 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your ground cherry.
About 70 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Ground Cherry's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
0.5 cm
Seeding Depth
75 cm
Plant Spacing
90 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–21 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow ground cherries in full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day.
- 2Mix compost into the soil, but not too much, since very rich soil gives lots of leaves and fewer fruits.
- 3Water deeply about once a week, and keep the soil evenly moist while the fruits form.
- 4Feed with compost tea once the first flowers open.
- 5Let the plants sprawl, and lay mulch or straw underneath so the fallen fruit stays clean and easy to find.
- 6Cover young plants with row cover to keep off flea beetles (tiny jumping beetles that chew holes), and know that the leaves, stems and unripe green fruit are toxic to people and pets.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~70
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
75 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
60 days
When to Pick
Gather the fallen, golden husk-fruits off the ground
How to Harvest
- 1Ground cherries are ripe when the husk turns papery and tan and the fruit drops to the ground on its own.
- 2Gather the fallen fruit every few days, and leave any that are still green or attached to ripen.
- 3Peel back the husk and eat only fruit that is fully golden.
- 4Keep them in their husks in a cool, dry spot, where they last for weeks.
- 5Eat them fresh, or cook them into jam, pies or salsa.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Ground cherries pollinate themselves, so the seeds grow true as long as the variety is not a hybrid (hybrid F1 seeds will not). Squeeze the seeds from a few fully ripe, golden fruits into a jar of water and stir. Pour off the pulp and any floating seeds, which are duds, then rinse the good seeds that sank. Spread them on a plate to dry for about a week, then store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place for at least 3 years.
Seed Production
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