Learning about crops - Ground Cherries

I've never grown ground cherries before.

To be completely honest, I don't know that I'd ever even heard of them before stumbling across them while going through the seed catalog.  After reading the description, I decided to give them a try.  I figure that it's a worthwhile attempt considering I want to branch out from beans/tomatoes/peppers/cucumbers this summer, anyway, even if it really does make me feel like I'm wandering around a grocery store at 5:30 and picking things at random off the shelf....

After doing a bit of research, here's what I've found.  They're related to the tomato, more specifically - the tomatillo, so companion planting is similar.  As such, I'll be planting marigolds and basil with them.  I would also plant peppers nearby, but I'm working to rotate my crops this year and things just won't pan out that way.

The variety I picked, Cossack Pineapple, supposedly taste very much like pineapples and are a hit with kids.  Considering my son loved picking and eating just about anything from the garden this past year, I have little doubt that this will prove true, too.

What was news to me after I lined up the order is that ground cherries love free space and encroach on everything around them.  My research has shown that they could grow to 3' across.  Most websites recommend transplanting the starters 2-3 apart with one outlier recommending as little as 18" apart.  Since descriptors like "sprawling" and "they take over your garden" are commonly used, I'm planning on planting three in a triangular pattern in a 3'x5' box to maximize the space between them.  I also have a single box along the far fenced wall that is 20"x3' that I will plant a single transplant in the middle.  To try to deter them from taking over, I'm going to try to cage them and/or encourage them to trellis. 

Nutritional information on ground cherries.

Ground cherries are an "excellent source" (20% RDA) of Vitamin A and Niacin and a "good source" (10% RDA) of Thiamin given 1 cup intake, raw.  There is also protein (5% RDA), iron (8% RDA) and magnesium (6% RDA) along with other trace minerals and vitamins.

Something else worth noting.  I've read in multiple places that the leaves, stems, and unripe fruits are toxic.  Fruit shouldn't be eaten until the husks have fallen from the plant (hence the name "ground cherry") and that the fruit inside are a golden yellow.  I'll have to be very watchful when my son is in the garden -- don't want him eating unripe fruit.