Organic Cossack’s Pineapple Ground Cherry
Planting Method: Transplant Only
When to sow: ~6 weeks before final frost
Seed Depth: 1/8 inch
Days to Germination: 5 at 90°F; they may take up to 24 days to germinate! (A heat mat will make all the difference.)
Sowing and seedling care: Sow indoors 2 seeds/cell thinned to the strongest 1. Transplant to 3-4” container once 2-3 true leaves emerge. Harden off (reduce water & temp 3-7 days).
When to transplant: 1 week after last frost. Support like determinate tomatoes.
Transplant Spacing: 2.5 feet Sun Needs: Full
Days to Harvest: 68
Height: 3-4 feet
Harvest: Harvest from the ground when fruit is plump & golden husks fall. Store 2-4 weeks at 45F. If you have marauding chipmunks in your garden, for better or for worse, they’ll be delighted you’re growing ground cherries, too! Since the most flavorful ground cherries are those so ripe they fall to the ground, we visit our ground cherries almost daily and gently shake the branches to scoop up the freshly fallen, perfectly ripe fruit before the chipmunks find them.
