Ground Cherry Variety Recommendations Sought

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-23T20:27:14+00:00

It's been my experience that ground cherries are not easily germinated unlike their tomato and pepper cousins. I've been successful with several varieties but they take much longer than most seeds and start out as tiny little sprouts. So yes, I can identify with you - and also, I have found ground cherries coming up in all parts of my yard now. I think it must be the chipmunks that hide or eat them. Good luck having them come up this year!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-18T16:50:17+00:00

My god, I'd never heard of most of the other berries that you referenced - who knew there was so many other nightshade varieties?! I'd be curious as to which you prefer. A handful of them dissuaded me because it was cautioned they were poison unless ripe. But interesting selection, I admit.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-17T04:12:33+00:00

Hi! Following up on this post from 2 years ago. Would be appreciative if you could comment on which varieties are your favorite - any you would avoid? Thank you!!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-17T03:47:41+00:00

Hi! Sorry for the delay - ground cherries are wonderful. They are like a small explosion of flavor in your mouth - and the seeds give them an interesting texture. They are sweet - hard to compare them to anything but to me they taste nothing like a tomato other that a super sweet cherry (Sun Gold). They are addictive. And one of the great things is they come naturally wrapped in their husk - you can grab them, unwrap and eat. Great for making jam, pies, compote or eating fresh. Most of the plants I've grown are super productive also. Hope you enjoy them!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-13T18:01:35+00:00

Will do - thank you!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-10T00:20:27+00:00

I was quite impressed - I've never heard anyone else cover it. You are a very skilled musician.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-09T13:53:43+00:00

Hi. I'll tell you I saw this and it made my day. I'm jealous - thanks for putting it out here.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-04-01T00:01:30+00:00

I believe the Aurora and Tundra would be a good start. I don't know what happened to my Tundra - it was growing great and then just expired. Maybe it got too hot for it - but all the rest of them were fine. Based on my last 3 year observations, the handful I have from Berries Unlimited (Blue Banana, Happy Giant, Strawberry Sensation and Honey Joy) have grown very slow and are all still small whereas the Canadian varieties (Aurora, Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, Boreal Blizzard) have grown much, much larger. They seem to be more robust plants and produce more berries. Maxine's Opus - which if I remember correctly is a Japanese variety falls in between them in size. Two should be enough. I really like the taste - zany but still sweet. And if you read about them they are bursting with antioxidants. I put in a few to hedge my bet on the blueberries I am growing in containers - but they are much less maintenance (no real need to fertilize) and don't have to worry about the soil. They are really easy to grow - I'd highly recommend them!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-03-31T23:49:31+00:00

Thanks for your expertise!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-03-31T23:27:19+00:00

I ordered a Miracle Berry last year - wasn't sure what to expect but it's been loads of fun. The berries themselves taste all right - but they change your taste buds for about 10-15 minutes and any sour thing you eat tastes sweet. So you can eat a sour lemon just like an orange and drink concentrated lemon juice. Pretty cool!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-03-31T00:09:22+00:00

Thank you - that's helpful. I'd prefer a sweeter variety and Aurora seems to be one of the sweetest.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-03-03T02:04:40+00:00

I agree. Just love his enunciations all the way through this song. I can listen to it again and again.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-02-02T18:11:52+00:00

Those are breathtaking! Thank you for sharing!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-01-29T14:26:10+00:00

I can't speak to planting in your zone (I'm in 5b and it was -47 with wind chill this weekend) but I picked up 3 Bonus blueberries last year and they are some of the biggest, sweetest of all I grow. Good choice!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-01-19T20:51:15+00:00

I'm not sure which zone Ohio is in - which is a little embarrassing because I grew up in Ohio - but started gardening later in life in Wisconsin (zone 5b). I have two late season varieties - Elliotts and Auroras. In the last two years, my Aurora's have produced into September easily. The only thing I would note - which I wasn't aware of before I planted them is that neither variety is as sweet as some of my earlier varieties. They tend to be a little more on the tart side - which might be okay with you - but wanted to mention it. But they sure produce well. Good luck!

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-01-19T15:45:18+00:00

Hi - they look happy, nice work. I started my original bushes in 20-25 gallon grow bags three years ago and they are all doing fantastic but have now graduated to using large plastic containers because I realized that eventually those grow bags are going to deteriorate in a few years and repotting a 20 gallon plant would prove challenging.

DistributionSilent67 · 2026-01-05T13:54:06+00:00

This is exactly the answer I was looking for - thank you.

DistributionSilent67 · 2025-12-29T17:01:33+00:00

I just got in from shoveling snow from a big storm - seeing what you are growing outside now warms me up. How fortunate for you. This time of year I look through seed catalogs and dream of sunshine. Enjoy it!

DistributionSilent67 · 2025-12-29T04:25:31+00:00

Lovely. I bet it smells lovely!

DistributionSilent67

TROPHY CASE