Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is 'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry (Physalis pruinosa 'Cossack Pineapple')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cape gooseberry, Strawberry tomato, Ground cherry.

More about 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry

About 'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry

Physalis pruinosa 'Cossack Pineapple' · also called Cape gooseberry, Strawberry tomato · edible

'Cossack Pineapple' is a low, sprawling annual ground cherry bearing small golden fruit in papery husks with a sweet pineapple-vanilla flavour. Ripe berries drop to the ground inside their husk when ready to harvest. It loves full sun and heat, tolerates lean soil, and forms a wide, mounding bush best given room to sprawl or a low cage.

Cold limit: USDA Warm-season annual in zones 3-11; perennial only in frost-free zones 8-11 · RHS H2 (tender; cut down by frost) (18-30°C)

What 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA Warm-season annual in zones 3-11; perennial only in frost-free zones 8-11 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry

'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. 'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry is grown Warm-season annual in zones 3-11; perennial only in frost-free zones 8-11; you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry?

'Cossack Pineapple' Ground Cherry is rated USDA Warm-season annual in zones 3-11; perennial only in frost-free zones 8-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect 'cossack pineapple' ground cherry from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.