Ground Cherry
fruit
Sweet pineapple-vanilla flavor inside a papery husk. Grow like tomatoes. Fruits drop when ripe — check the ground daily. Husk stays on; peel before eating.
At a glance
- USDA Zones
- 4–10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hrs)
- Water
- Medium — water when top inch of soil is dry
- Soil
- Loam, sandy
- pH
- Neutral
- Spacing
- 24 in. between plants
- Space needed
- A 2×2 ft block of the bed
- Days to maturity
- About 70 days
Planting & harvest windows
Northern Hemisphere timing. Adjust ±4–6 weeks based on your last/first frost dates.
| Activity | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Harvest |
Plant Harvest
Good companions
Keep apart from
Recommended varieties
- Aunt Molly's70 daysboth
Polish heirloom — the most-grown ground cherry, sweet and tangy.
- Goldie70 daysboth
Large-fruited variety with a sweeter, tropical flavor.
Add Ground Cherry to your raised bed — the planner handles spacing and companion warnings automatically.
Open the planner →