SPERLI Andenbeere Inkapflaume

The Cape gooseberry bears orange fruits in paper-thin husks – little lanterns to harvest from August to October, happily in a container too.

The story

Origins & history

Physalis peruviana comes from the Andes of South America, where it has long been gathered and grown in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. It was later also grown in South Africa; its English name Cape gooseberry and the German Kapstachelbeere are often traced back to the Cape of Good Hope. The genus name comes from the Greek ‘physa’, bladder, after the inflated husk around the fruit.

Uses

A decorative plant for containers and raised beds in a sunny, warm spot; it needs room, about a metre in every direction. Only the ripe, orange fruits are eaten, fresh or as a garnish on desserts. Do not eat unripe fruit or the leaves.

Meaning

The Cape gooseberry is a member of the nightshade family and so a relative of the tomato and potato. Its German name Inkapflaume, Inca plum, recalls its home in the former Inca empire.

A thought for giving

The physalis fruit ripens safely wrapped in its husk until it is ready. Some things need shelter before they show themselves.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 60 plants
• Botanical name: Physalis peruviana
• Life cycle: annual
• Position: sunny
• Suitable for containers: yes (raised bed, container)
• Sow indoors: February–April
• Harvest: August–October
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 20–25 °C
• Germination time: 14–21 days
• Plant spacing: 100 cm
• Row spacing: 100 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Sow indoors from February to April in the PRO24 propagator (Anzuchthaus PRO24): sow seeds 0.5–1 cm deep.
2. At 20–25 °C the seeds germinate in 14–21 days.
3. Plant out in full sun only after the frosts, 100 cm apart within and between rows.
4. In containers use peat-free vegetable compost (Gemüseerde torffrei) and feed with tomato fertiliser (Tomaten-Dünger).

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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