Ground cherry

Ground cherry: plant 45 cm (18 in) apart in the row and 60 cm (24 in) between rows, 1 plant per 4 squares. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	45 cm (18 in)
Between rows	60 cm (24 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 plant per 4 squares
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	60 cm (24 in)
Crop rotation group	Potato and tomato family
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Started in trays
Seeds per hole	2
Plants kept after thinning	1
Sowing depth	1 cm (0.4 in)
Soil temperature	from 15 °C, best 21–27 °C
Days to emerge	7–14 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to plant	Indoors 7 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 15 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	18–24 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	7–10 days
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	15 L, 35 cm (13.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; at flowering, while fruit sets
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, at flowering, while picking
Support and training	A stake; tie in as it grows

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	70–90 days, from planting out
Ready when	The husks fall by themselves
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 6–10 weeks
Typical yield	0.8–1.5 kg per plant
Botanical family	Solanaceae
Watch out for	Aphids, whitefly, blight

Plan Ground cherry in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Ground cherry onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow indoors	Mar–Apr
Plant out	May
Harvest	Aug–Oct

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Ground cherry →

From the same family

Plants of the Solanaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Growing tomatillos and ground cherries in home gardens — University of Minnesota Extension for: when to sow, scientific name, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-29

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