Gardening: Don't be fooled by the name — ground cherries are related to tomatoes
One of the joys of gardening is the ability to experience new things each growing season. Sometimes it’s a new cultivar or variety of a plant that you have grown for years. Or perhaps new colors on flowers or different variegation on the foliage on a familiar plant. And sometimes it’s a completely new plant that you have never grown.
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Such is the case of ground cherries for me. My first exposure to ground cherries was in a pie baked by my wife’s grandmother more than 35 years ago, and sadly, it has taken me more than three decades to experience the joy of growing these delicious cherry-sized fruits.
Are ground cherries a fruit or vegetable?
Ground cherries are a fruit in the same family as the tomato, Solanaceae. And yes, tomatoes are technically classified as a fruit. Ground cherries belong to the species Physalis pruinosa and are closely related to the tomatillo, Physalis ixocarpa, and ornamental Chinese lanterns Physalis alkekengi.
Other common names for ground cherries are husk cherry, husk tomato or strawberry tomato. Ground cherries are completely unrelated to the cherries that grow on trees.
Ground cherries grow in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions worldwide. They are native to Central and South America, with some species native to North America. While the ground cherry is considered native, it is often found only in home gardens. Ground cherries never became a commercially grown agricultural crop primarily because the fruit drops to the ground when ripe, making them difficult to harvest.
Ground cherries are enclosed in a papery husk called a calyx, which enlarges and covers the maturing fruit, similar to a tomatillo. These husks turn from green to light-beige to tan as the fruit ripens. The half-inch fruits look similar to a small cherry tomato but taste more like mango or pineapple, with a hint of vanilla.
How to grow ground cherries
Ground cherries can be planted outdoors two or three weeks after the last expected frost. Ground cherries require fertile, well-drained soil in a full-sun location. Like tomatoes, ground cherries do well in the hot summer months in Greater Columbus, and their many leaves, as well as the husks, protect the edible fruit from sunburn.
The plants require a fair amount of soil moisture, so be ready to irrigate when precipitation is lacking. Ground cherries require a slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5.
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Ground cherries grow to 1.5 to 3 feet in height but spread laterally, so plan on spacing them 4 feet apart. The plants can be trellised or grown in tomato cages in order to save space. A layer of mulch, such as straw or black plastic or landscape fabric, will suppress weed growth, conserve soil moisture and make it easier to see and harvest the fallen fruit.
Ground cherries can also be grown in containers with proper attention to maintaining adequate soil moisture.
Like other plants in the Solanaceae family, ground cherries do poorly in cool soils, so wait until soils warm to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit before transplanting outdoors. Unlike tomatoes, ground cherry stems do not root well at the nodes, so keep the base of the plant even with the soil surface as you would when planting pepper or eggplant.
As the plants mature, yellow flowers with purple centers appear. Ground cherries are indeterminate plants, which means that they will keep growing and flowers will continue to form throughout the growing season. As the air temperature cools in the fall, flowering will decline, as will fruit production.
Plan to start seeds
It is rare to find ground cherry transplants in garden centers and other retail outlets, so plan on starting seeds indoors if you wish to grow ground cherries. Seeds can easily be located online, particularly from seed companies that feature heirloom varieties of garden plants.
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Seeds should be started indoors six weeks before the last frost date. The seeds can take up to three weeks to germinate indoors, so be patient. Like peppers, ground cherries prefer bottom warmth, so use a heat mat to maximize germination and seedling growth. After sprouting, treat seedlings like tomato or pepper seedlings, providing bright light and maintaining a 70-degree Fahrenheit temperature.
What can you do with ground cherries?
Fresh ground cherries store well in their husks in a cool area for up to three months. The husked berries can be stored in a refrigerator for two to three weeks. Ground cherries make excellent jellies, jams, and preserves. They can also be dried like sun-dried tomatoes, or baked in pies and cakes.
So if you are looking to try a new plant in your garden next season, consider growing ground cherries.
Mike Hogan is an associate professor at Ohio State University and an educator at the OSU Extension.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ground cherries related to tomatoes, but have a tropical taste
