One gardener's invasive plant is another gardener's dream.

Cossack Pineapple ground cherries. There are other varieties, but our favourite is the Cossack Pineapple. Some may call them invasive and despise them, other's cannot get enough. We fall into that second category, love at first taste. When we first grew these lovely plants we had planted about 20 plants finding out later that season 4 plants were suggested for our family size. They were not joking! Who could not love a paper husked fruit that stores for months?

These beauties are so prolific that besides the fresh eating and baking into muffins, we also made jam with them. The jam surpassed my expectations- tastes like honey (no honey was used). I made a second batch and counted out about 1500 ground cherries into make 7- 8oz jars of jam. Needless to say we had plenty that first year that we decided to store a basket full in the basement. Months passed.. totally forgetting they were there. After 5 months we went down expecting to find a basket of rotten ground cherries. To our surprise they were still in great shape and we continued on processing them.

The next year the Cossack Pineapple Ground cherries were coming up in various parts of the yard and gardens as volunteers. We leave these volunteers and don't have to seed start them anymore, they are a welcome addition to our property. Some grow low sprawling out about 4 feet or so and no more than a foot high, others grow vertically- there is one that is at least 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Best part of harvesting where you just tap the stem and the ripe ones will just fall to the ground. No second guessing if they are ready. They are a little late in fruiting, but when fruiting starts, it is nonstop until a good killing frost where we live.

This plant needs little care, self seeds, and is prolific. Invasive to some, a dream to us. Have you ever tried growing them? What is your favourite plant that others would consider invasive?

Comments

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    True: "This plant needs little care, self seeds, and is prolific. Invasive to some, a dream to us. Who could not love a paper husked fruit that stores for months? : (Golden in our garden) Ground cherries

    coming up in various parts of the yard and gardens as volunteers. We leave these volunteers and don't have to seed start them anymore, they are a welcome addition to our property. Some grow low sprawling out about 4 feet or so and no more than a foot high" - 100% agreed. Good for you!

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    I'll have to try those! Speaking of invasive, I'm trying to breed a less invasive kudzu. It is a wonderful nitrogen fixer, good for food and medicine... but it is also "the vine that ate the South"!