I just planted the seeds I got and they are tiny! I'd never heard of them before either and am most curious to see what they are like.

Also, are all ground cherries OP? Or are there hybrids? If there is no advantage to the latter, might be smart to get the former.

When I bought my seeds there were several different kinds. I don’t remeber why I chose mine, but they are New Hanover. I don’t think they are hybrids, just different from different places.

Yes, I see there are different varieties. I guess I just have to do some research on whether any are hybrids. Maybe I'll ask at a seed company that sells them.

I got mine from Rare Seeds.

It's one of few plants found growing wild in temperate climates worldwide ,hence one reason for the lack of popularity. With a wild population of one to several varities,there's risk of diseases and pests spreading to cultivated plants like tomatoes,potatoes and eggplant. Regardless which of the countless varities,farmers call them nightshade when they show up in crops. Tobacco and tomatoes are particularly vulnerable to Tobacco Mosaic Virus which can establish in wild plants then spread via wind,insects,birds and other means. Several varieties possess a characteristic which is a blessing or a bane,depending on grower's circumstances. Devilish little thorns or stickers which ward of rabbits,chipmonks and such but can make harvest painful.

If I remember correctly they produced all summer, but you would get some that had empty husk. They do grow wild in Texas. I had some come up in my garden the year before I planted the named variety. Only one person in my family cared for the taste. We did have some trouble getting them to ripen, even after they fell to the ground. Not sure why.

The fact that they grow wild suggests that at least there are OP varieties, and yes, I understand that they can appear as volunteers the next season. As I said, I've read that they are not susceptible to diseases. If mosaic ever hit me, it would go after my tomatoes first, in any case. As to thorns, my reading is that they don't have any, but they look a lot like Horse Nettle (also Solanaceae), which do have thorns, and also are pretty toxic. If you see thorns, don't eat them! I think this is about lots of solanine. Now, it is true that while ground cherry fruit are non-toxic, the rest of the plant is.

Allegedly, there are heat-tolerant varieties, but of course heat-tolerant tomatoes are really not all that heat-tolerant.

I read that they like some heat, but appreciate afternoon shade if it gets really hot. I guess I will plant mine where they will get afternoon shade. Here tomatoes take a summer break; if you cut them back they will produce again in the Fall. Perhaps the Ground Cherries will be the same.

I see four or five varieties online. About OP, Southern Exposure makes it simple. They say "Husk tomatoes self-sow easily." So I guess I can pick and choose if I want OP. They also say that they are less sensitive to heat than tomatillos. Now, this is important. Husk tomatoes are "self-incompatible", which means they do NOT self-pollinate. You need multiple plants and insect pollinators to achieve pollination. Without pollination, you get empty husks. That's a BIG difference from tomatoes and peppers. I see that husk tomato flowers are sizable (about 3/4 inch across), so manual pollination is probably feasible.

I have huge amounts of voluntiers yearly and harvest a large amount of them successfully.

I think you are referring to Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana, which is semi-tropical. To most gardeners in the U.S., ground cherries are the smaller-fruited Physalis pruinosa. Cape Gooseberries are starting to become more widely available commercially, so there may be hybrids... but those would likely be for agricultural use.

I only have experience with Physalis pruinosa. To my knowledge, there are no ground cherry hybrids. Probably not enough interest to make hybrid seed worthwhile... and despite the fairly large number of heirlooms available, there is very little genetic variability between them. Hybrids would only make sense if they were a cross with a larger-fruited member of the genus, or if they produced berries of a different flavor. There is a perennial ground cherry that grows in my area though, it might be worthwhile to breed a higher yield into it.

I've grown 3 heirloom varieties, and the differences between them were so small that they could have been just normal year-to-year variation. Sweet pineapple-like flavor when golden ripe; Daughter and Grandkids love them. The fruits drop to the ground when ripe, but unripe fruits will drop too in strong wind, or when something brushes against the plants (like a clumsy gardener - don't ask me how I know).

Green berries should not be eaten - but they will ripen with time. When there are large quantities (as there will be late in the season) I wash them husk-on, spread them out in the sun to dry, then put them away in a shallow basket for a month or two. At that point, most of the berries will have ripened. Stored in their husks, spoilage is very low; they can be kept for months, and will eventually turn into ground cherry "raisins". Other than eating the berries out of hand, all I've ever done with them is baking ground cherry coffee cakes, which DW & the kids loved.

Ground cherries are very fast growing, even as volunteers. My admittedly milder summer heat does not appear to hinder pollination; but even if higher Southern heat does, the plants grow so fast that you could probably get a decent yield either before or after the hot spell. Physalis peruviana should be more heat tolerant.

Zeedman made the comment that I just learned. The stems, foliage, and husks are toxic. But the berries are too, until they are ripe. Shouldn't eat green ground cherries. I gather that like mature tomatoes, they will ripen off the vine, though. Somewhat puzzling that there isn't much difference between varieties. One must wonder why then anyone bothers to sell different varieties. I do believe that there can be color differences, though.

I find that they will ripen some if spread out in their husks in the sun for 4 days....but greenish ones are a problem.

I ordered some New Hanover seeds. Will be planting out in mid-summer. CA Kate, we can compare notes.

I should add that since these are self-incompatable, and require flower-to-flower fertilization, my guess is that, unlike tomatoes, they may pollinate successfully during summer heat. That is, pollination for them isn't about pollen being able to fall naturally, which can't happen for tomatoes in high heat. So if I had a place to put them, I'd probably be planting them out right now!

Dan, some of the seed has been in pots for almost a month and still no sprouts. I know that they are slow to germnate, but I planted a second set of seeds, and maybe they'll all take and I'll have many plants.

I didn't date the first set, but I did the second. I'll let you know how long it takes.

Hmmm, I'll look forward to hearing about your efforts. I read online that germination is supposed to happen in just a week or so at 75-80F. Again, these often just come up as volunteers, and some people just plant fruit for the following year. I'm also reading that these things fruit later than regular tomatoes, so maybe waiting until mid-summer to plant them isn't smart. In many respects, I'm getting the impression that tomato cultivation does not offer lessons that apply very well here.