I planted seeds indoors this February. I had a seedling come up 2/19. Since March was wickedly cold I never bothered to transplant it since I knew it wouldn't be going outside for quite a while. Today I looked at the seedling which is only a few inches tall. It already has flowers on it! I'm going to transplant it to a pot, harden it off and hopefully plant it in the garden the end of the month. I can't wait for the first fruits to ripen!

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I have been growing ground cherries for close to ten years now in zone 3. I recommend planting in pots. If you plant in your garden, you will never have to buy another ground cherry seed again as they come up most rambunctiously throughout the garden, especially if you till your garden as I do (I have to till in late fall to disturb flea beetle larvae or I will be inundated with them). The "weed" cherries can be transplanted easily or left to grow where they are. Last year, without planting a single seed, I got enough cherries to make two dozen small jars of jam (boiling down method, no Certo). Best jam I ever made!

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I enjoyed the taste of these. They were a little larger than a blueberry, with a sweet-tart taste that's hard to explain. It does not taste tomato-y or musky, as I've read others can. It is seedy, but the seeds aren't "in the way" as you chew; they're very small versions of tomato seeds. They're not juicy like tomatoes or cherries to me--just little sweet bursts in your mouth. The little ones enjoyed hunting for them on the ground. The ones on the plant are not ripe yet.

I winter sowed mine and grew it on in a gallon-sized container, and it produced so many cherries we couldn't keep up, since we weren't gathering them for jelly or pies, just picking them up for a snack whenever we thought about it. They last a long time in their husks on the ground. I loved the perfect lantern shape of the husks, both green on the plant and golden on the ground.

The habit is very awkward, as seen in my photo. It's pretty much horizontal, and mine didn't grow much taller than a foot. Maybe a cage might keep the stems contained.

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