Fruit · Easy to grow
Cape gooseberry
Physalis peruviana · also Physalis, Golden berry, Inca berry
A fast, sprawling shrub from South America with sweet-tart golden berries inside papery husks. In Adelaide it fruits from summer into autumn, about five to six months after planting, and lasts two or three years in frost-free spots. Frost kills it, so plant out after the last frost or grow in a pot.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing100 cm apart
- First pick20–26 weeks
- FrostFrost tender
- HeatCopes with some heat
- Sow depth5 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add cape gooseberry to my gardenVarieties (2)
- Giant PohaLarger berries on a vigorous plant; needs staking
- Golden Berry (common seed strain)The usual seed-grown type sold in Australia; tall and productive
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
100 cm apart, seed 5 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Deep water once or twice a week in summer; less once fruiting.
Feed
Compost at planting; go easy on nitrogen or you get leaves, not fruit.
Pick, from about 20 weeks
Pick when the husk is dry and papery and the berry inside is fully golden.
Good to know
- Sow seed indoors in late winter, or buy seedlings in spring
- Stake or cage plants to keep fruit off the ground
- Cut back by half in late winter to refresh older plants
- Never eat green berries; ripe fruit keeps for weeks in its husk
Common problems
- Frost damagecover plants on cold nights or grow in a pot against a warm wall
- Self-sown seedlings from dropped fruitpick up fallen fruit and pull unwanted seedlings
- Fruit drop and sunburn in heatwavesmulch and give afternoon shade on extreme days
- Shares pests with tomatoes (whitefly, 28-spot ladybird, fruit fly): check leaves and pick fruit promptly
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Wildlife
Good for: bees.
Safety: Like tomato, all green parts and unripe berries contain solanine glycoalkaloids. Ripe golden fruit has negligible amounts and is eaten widely.
Where this information comes from
- Seed supplier germination guidance for Physalis peruviana (germination, low confidence)
- ABC Gardening Australia: Edible Landscaping (growing, medium confidence, checked 29 Oct 2026)
- IVIS Guide to Poisonous House and Garden Plants: Physalis species (toxicity, medium confidence, checked 29 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 29 Oct 2026. Version 1.