golden berry/cape gooseberry

I have two of these and they bloom and then as they are ripening, something is boring into the little paper husk and ruining the berry. I don't want to poison them (I'm trying to be as organic as I can but still get things to grow) but I wonder if anyone knows what eats them like this? It's a little round hole, at the top of the husk, maybe 1/8 inch across.

I really don't know much about cape gooseberries because I have never grown any, but I was able to find a few sites that may be helpful. I don't know if it would help, but have you tried tying paper bags or pieces of crop row netting around the fruit before they ripen?

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/cape-gooseberry.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mexican_husk_tomato.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry

Thanks for the sites! I'll look at them right away. Netting is probably a good idea, though the leaves are so big and the blooms are so small I'd almost have to net the entire plant, and with my luck I'd probably trap the bugs in there with the fruit! But I'll check those sites. Thanks!

Brigidlily, you need to start opening them up and looking for the pest. That could help you figure out how to treat them. For example if it is a caterpillar, use Bt. I am growing these guys for the first time this year and I have not had any pests on them.

Scott

I've opened up a few, and all I find is black, ground-up berry innards (probably bug spoor). But I'll keep checking and maybe I'll catch one. Thanks for the tip!

Have you gotten any ripe ones yet? Are they nice and sweet? The one I found that wasn't TOO badly damaged smelled just like a tomato.

I also have a couple that are only about a foot tall -- maybe they'll set fruit after this pest has done its thing.

I have gotten a couple so far and I have been pleasantly surprised - they have a very nice sweet/tart flavor. I am growing seeds from Johnny's. I am now thinking the biggest downside is the size, they are a lot smaller than I had imagined.

Scott

I got my seeds from Johnny's, too. I have actually reaped two of the things, but am making sure they are really ripe before I bite. I'll report.

I've grown both cape gooseberry and ground cherries here in PA for about 10 years. The cape gooseberries only begin to ripen here just as frost arrives, so I never get many. the ground cherries do very well and ripen much sooner. Cape gooseberries hold onto the fruit whereas the ground cherries drop it as they ripen. Local bugs here seldon bother either fruit, so I suspect you are dealing with an exotic Texas critter. I am never sure what is being sold when companies advertise one or the other. Mostly tend to see ground cherries, but would love to have more cape gooseberries mature.

Well, I can't swear which this is, as I was under the impression they were the same thing. This holds onto some fruits and drops others. I grew it from seed. The Latin for it is physalia peruviana. There have been several leaf-footed bugs in that bed, and I suspect they're the culprits.

Wow I am glad I don't live in Texas ...I have been growing cape gooseberries for years ...to the point of being weeds (the birds spread them all around the place )...in all that time I have never found a bug in them and I don't spray....good luck what a shame as they are a really tart sweet taste when the hull turns to a parchment colour and the berry is a nice gold/orange colour...I hope you get to try them.:)