Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry Seeds

Tomatillo and ground cherry plants should be grown in a warm areas and receive plenty of sunlight, so choose a sunny location in the garden. Tomatillos and ground cherries grow very similar to tomatoes, but grow more quickly. The fruit grow inside husk. Relocate your plants in different parts of your garden each year to avoid diseases. Optimum temperatures for growing tomatillos and ground cherries are between 65 F and 85 F. Plant your seeds indoors 3 to 6 weeks before setting outside. When seedlings are 4" tall, transplant them in larger pots. Plants should be at least 10" tall before transplanting outdoors. Place plants outdoors in shady area several days before transplanting outdoors. Shelter the transplants to prevent sunburn, wilting, and rain damage. Spring planting should occur when soil is warm, at least 3 weeks after last frost, and when temperatures remain above 70 F. You can plant early if you use water towers. To protect plant branches from breaking, use 4 to 5 ft tall cages. Plants can grow 2 to 6 ft tall.