Overgrown (leggy?) indoor physalis (cape gooseberry)

[Right Shed Fred]

I bought some physalis (cape gooseberry) plugs at the beginning of the year, as I used to have problems germinating them, then when I cracked that I got started too late etc. etc. I was willing to pay for some plugs this year to just make it happen.

Well. I have fallen foul of a new problem. The little plugs have grown huge on the windowsill while waiting for us to be safely past last frost date. They are over 2 ft tall, and have suddenly started to flower!

All internet recommendations are to only take cuttings before flowering or at end of the season, so I think it would not be a good idea to cut a bit off to start new (shorter) plants. Or does anyone think that might be worth trying?

Does anyone think I am being too pessimistic in thinking these will not survive the hardening off process and just snap/die in the big wide world?

I was so determined to grow cape gooseberries this year after years of aborted attempts!

Looking forward to hearing any ideas. Don't laugh too hard at my multiple failed attempts to grow a fruit plant that, by all other accounts, seems to grow like a weed on steroids 😂

[ameno]

Just pinch out the flower buds. They'll be fine. Cape gooseberry are very vigorous growers, so they'll soon recover once you plant them out.
And when they say to only take cuttings before flowering, that's exactly what they mean: cuttings. Cape gooseberry takes quite well from cuttings, just like tomatoes do. It doesn't mean pruning. You can prune them whenever.

[Right Shed Fred]

This is very optimistic - I like this...

[Snadger]

Mine are 4 inches high and flowering.

These are the dwarf ones that I intend growing on the greenhouse staging in MFB. I have grown the more rampant ones and managed to keep them going in a cold greenhouse for three seasons..........so they must be a bit hardier than tomatoes

Mine will be going into the greenhouse this week with a covering of laminate flooring underlay (Like a rubbery polystyrene sheet) Toms might be going onto staging as well so I will Jerry rig a framework up to support the insulation.

[Right Shed Fred]

Dwarf physalis?! Maybe I'll try those next year so things don't get quite so out of control. I'd actually never come across those - good to know, thanks!

[Plot70]

I have put some seeds in from supermarket bought fruit.
Lets wait and see...