If Microsoft made fruit plants, it would be Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). That's how the saying goes though I have my doubts, the plant doesn't crash at will or delete your hard drive. These are great plants and great fruit from marble to golf ball sized. If your plant is thriving it will reward you with the biggest of these so it's an indicator on how well you're growing them. Buy the seeds because they'll sprout easily and tip the branches when they are about 20 - 30cm, this encourages a bushy plant. Grow in the greenhouse, in South America these would stay green all year but even in a greenhouse they usually die back to the ground in the UK, with some emerging in spring. Just keep the seeds from a few of the previous year's fruit and plant again. First year plants will bear a good amount of fruit but a 2 or 3 year old bushy plant that winters well is much better. For that reason, wintering a few in your house is recommended and they should even keep fruiting. They appreciate you giving them new soil occasionally, when you can see that they're not growing quite as well. Enjoy.

If Perennial Grace is close enough for you, then you should easily be able to go a few more miles and go to Autumn Hill Nursery on Earney Rd; they had an awesome selection the other day. They had one gallon sizes and also they had the same variegated one that Mann's had in a 3/4 inch pot for $2.90, I think. Didn't notice the one gallon price, but they had several colors. Perennial Grace is closed on Mondays. Perennial Grace is on Birmingham Hwy which intersects with Batesville Rd; Autumn Hill is on Earney, which intersects with Batesville.

Hi, I've not saved seeds of them, but they are related to tomatillos and I'm assuming seed saving is the same. The seeds need to be extracted from the fruit. The link below is about tomatillo seed so do the same for your chinese lantern fruit. Please let anyone you send seed to that this plant can be quite invasive in the garden and hard to eradicate so plant with caution or in a container. Remy Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatillo Seed Saving

Unfortunately, getting rid of the stuff may become your new hobby. It will require persistence, lots of it! 1. Cut the stems and immediately paint the cut surface of the end still in the ground with Roundup. Repeat as needed. Or 2. Patrol the area every 2 weeks. Pull all that you see. Repeat as needed.