[maddave]

I've grown a cape gooseberry for the first time this year. Wasn't expecting much, but managed to get a very decent plant. I sowed it in a large pot which I have now brought into an unheated conservatory.

So far I've had only three ripe berries (very tasty!).  However, the plant is still growing and has loads of lanterns on it, but they are all still very green and the berries are not ripe yet. It is still producing flowers, although I doubt these will set fruit as there will be no pollinators in the conservatory!

Can anyone say when the other fruit will ripen? I'm worried the plant will eventually die before I can harvest it as the conservatory is unheated and the nights are getting colder each day.  Can you pick the fruit whilst it is still green and ripen another way?
Thanks.

[Lardman]

I've not seen the fruit ripen when picked but I've left fruit on the plant until spring without too much problem, bar the odd mouldy one.

In theory if you're frost free and keep the pot from getting too cold you can over winter the plant, cut it back in the spring and let it grow again.  I've not managed it yet - but to be honest I've not tried very hard either 

[viettaclark]

Haven't tried over-wintering. Had quite a few small tasty fruits but plants got blight. Seems they're a member of the tom/pot family......Didn't bother again.

[3759allen]

no idea on the ripening of them, my first year of growing them myself.

i was under the impression that you can over winter them, and the next year they should come back sooner and stronger. if this is the case then next year all the fruits that are not ripe now should have a bit more time to ripen naturally. i will find out next year.

[Fairy Plotmother]

Trial and error for me too. First year of growing. I shall just wait and see what happens. Not sure I will bother again as the plant is so rampant and there is comparatively little fruit......which not many of the family like.

[maddave]

Thanks all.  I've been quite impressed with the plant overall. It started off realatively small, has produced a lot of fruits (although only 2 or 2 are ripe at the mo) and has only just now started to go rampant since moving into the conservatory.  It's grown from about 3 foot to nearly 6 foot tall!!  I'm just going to leave it and see how it goes.

[GrannieAnnie]

Mine is in its 2nd year.  Last winter I just left it in the greenhouse, unheated with the occasional water, and it grew bigger this year, but actually there were fewer fruits on it than I had last year!   

[Headgardener22]

I've grown these for a few years. In general, they have survived one winter in an unheated greenhouse (but never two for some reason). The fruit are never edible (IMO) until they fall off the plant which means I leave them alone and pick the fruit off the floor of the greenhouse through the winter months.