Author Topic: Golden Berries  (Read 1797 times)

Shiapouf

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Golden Berries
« on: June 07, 2020, 08:37:00 PM »
As tomato relatives, should golden berries be treated the same as tomatoes, and how has everyone else's success been when growing them and getting them to fruit?

pinkturtle

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2020, 08:42:33 PM »
It is very easy to grow.  I put it in a 5gal pot last year as a seedling and I have over 30 fruits so far.  Still flowering.  No fertilizing.


RodneyS

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2020, 08:48:30 PM »
They are quite prolific, and do well with little care on my part. 

pinkturtle

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2020, 09:00:28 PM »
Yes for both, just water, no other maintenance. 

brian

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2020, 09:03:39 PM »
I had never heard of these and had to look them up, but it seems to be another name for Cape Gooseberry/Ground Cherry which are reasonably common.

My brother is growing one.  I've eaten the fruit but never seen a plant. 

pineislander

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2020, 09:31:38 PM »
Probably grow as a winter vegetable in SFL.

PersephonesChild

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2020, 01:54:14 AM »
I popped mine into a corner of my raised veggie bed (12" deep, filled with Kellogs Raised Bed mix and amended with steer manure). They get organic ferts with macros, micros, and extra calcium about 2x/month when I feed the veggies and the tomatoes. The plant took off like crazy in there, began setting fruit when it only had an 8" spread, and I probably pick 50+ fruits per week now from the one plant. In the 3 months since sprouting the plant has already hit a 5' spread (mine sprawls on the ground and is not trellised). To harvest, I lift the vine off the ground, pick up the fallen fruits, and then husk and eat them right in the garden.

I've heard they do fine in poor soil and with minimal care, but it would seem that, like their relatives the tomatoes, giving them heaps of nitrogen, consistent water, and a steady supply of fertilizer will turn them into giant, productive monsters in no time.

I will probably put in 2 or 3 of them next year, as I really like the little fruits, and despite the rapid growth it's been pretty well behaved amongst the peppers and eggplants, not choking anything out or overrunning its neighbors.

I will also mention that of all the plants in my raised beds, the cape gooseberries/ground cherries are the least bothered by pest insects. That plant has handled drenching rainstorms and two extreme heat waves, and hasn't flinched or slowed flowering for anything.
Cheers-
Cris

stephen

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2020, 02:30:02 AM »
What do they taste like, and where can we purchase a plant? I don't think I've ever seen them in stores.

PersephonesChild

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #8 on: June 08, 2020, 02:46:23 AM »
I got seeds on ebay, but have spotted them at Home Depot this year, and actually saw the fruits for sale at Trader Joes. They grow easily from seed but require heat (germinate similar to peppers or their closest relative the tomatillo).

As for eating, they are textured like a firm cherry tomato, but the taste is almost more like citrus or pineapple. Depending on ripeness, they range from sweet-tart and more like a lemon-tangerine flavor to quite sweet but with a good acid balance and that's when they tend more to the pineapple flavor.

When the fruits drop, they continue to ripen over a period of several more days inside the paper husk. Usually you can tell by the dryness/brittleness of the husk how sweet the fruits will be. I like them best at about 85% ripened, when they have turned decidedly yellow but not quite pale orange, and are sweet but still on the citrusy side.

I should note that there are actually a few different Physalis species (peruviana probably being the most widely cultivated) that are closely related and very similar that are commonly called "ground cherries". Their care is essentially the same, and the fruits are also broadly similar in overall flavor.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2020, 02:56:47 AM by PersephonesChild »
Cheers-
Cris

pinkturtle

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2020, 02:53:42 AM »
What do they taste like, and where can we purchase a plant? I don't think I've ever seen them in stores.

I am near the LA area, if you want, I can give you couple of the fruit for you to try and germinate.  Take only one year to fruit.

stephen

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2020, 02:57:20 AM »
I got seeds on ebay, but have spotted them at Home Depot this year, and actually saw the fruits for sale at Trader Joes. They grow easily from seed but require heat (germinate similar to peppers or their closest relative the tomatillo).

Thanks! At Home Depot, would they be in the fruit tree section or grouped with the vegetables?

I am near the LA area, if you want, I can give you couple of the fruit for you to try and germinate.  Take only one year to fruit.

Thanks so much! That's really generous of you. I think I'd prefer to grow from a more mature plant than from seed, if possible. So I'll try to find the plant in a store. :)

PersephonesChild

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #11 on: June 08, 2020, 03:04:02 AM »

I am near the LA area, if you want, I can give you couple of the fruit for you to try and germinate.  Take only one year to fruit.

A year to fruit? Has yours been perennial? I started mine 3 months ago and it's already fruiting like mad, but I thought they were annuals. If I can overwinter mine in the greenhouse and have an adult plant already established come spring, that would be awesome.
Cheers-
Cris

PersephonesChild

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2020, 03:12:16 AM »

Thanks! At Home Depot, would they be in the fruit tree section or grouped with the vegetables?

I saw them over in the Burpee seedling section hanging out with the tomatoes and peppers.
Cheers-
Cris

KarenRei

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Re: Golden Berries
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2020, 07:48:24 AM »
As tomato relatives, should golden berries be treated the same as tomatoes, and how has everyone else's success been when growing them and getting them to fruit?

They should be treated as weeds  ;)

I have a couple growing in my grow room.  They fruit profusely, even in the suboptimal environment, and will gladly invade other pots and shade out everything with their tomato-like semi-vining habit.  It's be better if I enjoyed the fruit, but I don't really, even though they're neat-looking little fruit.

They like moisture and develop a moderately large root system relative to their size, but like tomatoes, will root anywhere the stems touch a suitable substrate.  They like light but semi-shade doesn't stop them.  They act like big babies when their soil gets dry, but fully recover when watered.  They're day-length dependent - I've found that they 100% refuse to flower when on a 24-hour light cycle (through growth thrives on it).  Indoors, they can live for years.

I don't have the heart to kill mine, so I just keep refusing to pot them up, and cutting back those that shade other plants and using them as green mulch  ;)
« Last Edit: June 08, 2020, 07:51:30 AM by KarenRei »
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