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How to Grow GooseberriesA guide to growing Gooseberries in gardens, allotments and containers
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Growing Gooseberries - DetailsSee also:- Fruit Growing Glossary | Tree Forms | Container Growing | Buying Plants
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| Aftercare | Open Ground - Yearly pruning will be
necessary in the first 2-3 years (see below). Apply a mulch of well rotted manure or
compost once a year in spring and a supplement of a
potash rich inorganic fertiliser is helpful in February. Containers - Yearly pruning will be necessary (see below). Apply a mulch of well rotted manure or compost during the first year in spring and a supplement of a potash rich inorganic fertiliser is helpful in February. In subsequent years, it is best to carefully remove some of the soil from the container and replace it with fresh compost. Do this carefully so as not to damage the roots. Keep the containers well watered. General - Protecting from birds with netting . Keep watered. |
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| Harvesting | Most varieties of Gooseberry bush produce fruit suitable for both cooking and eating. Gooseberries for cooking are just harvested earlier than those for eating. Pick about 10% of the fruit when they are very small (about the size of a pea) in mid-May and use these for cooking. This 'thinning' will encourage the remaining fruits to become larger so make sure you pick berries evenly from all over the plant. Start harvesting the remainder around July time, picking individual fruit from the bottom and in the middle of the plant as these are less likely to improve with time, leaving the fruit on the outsides of the bush to be picked later. | |
| Propagation | Not easy. In Autumn cut 30cm/12" long pieces of mature wood just below
a bud. Plant the cuttings to around half their length deep.
Don't bother to remove any of the buds. Transplant to a new position
in winter, once the roots are well developed which takes about 1
year, removing the lower side shoots to create a short bare
stem. |
Gooseberry Forms Dimensions |
Expected Yield Per Mature Gooseberry Plant |
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| Bush Cordon |
Height:
90cm/3ft
Height: +2m/6ft |
Spread: 1.6m/5ft Spread: 30cm/1ft |
Bush Cordon |
4-5kg/8-10lb 0.5-1.5kg/1-3lb |
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| For a complete guide to and explanation of the various fruit tree forms click here | ||||||
Always
make pruning cuts no more than 6mm¼" above a bud.
The aim is to produce an open centred canopy. Slant all pruning cuts away from the buds as in the diagram on the right, to prevent water being channelled towards the bud which will
cause problems.
A
bush is comprised of 3 main parts:
1. The stem or trunk 'Leader'
2. Main 'Branches' which come directly off the Leader
3. 'Laterals' which come off the Branches
Laterals
sometimes have a set of cluster leaves at their base then spaced leaves all the
way up their stems. Always ignore the leaf
cluster when counting the leaves to prune back to e.g. the diagram
below has been pruned back to 5 leaves on the right had lateral and
3 on the left hand lateral
| Bush | Cordons |
| After planting in winter, prune the main leaders
(branches) by half to an
appropriate bud. If the branches are the drooping or weeping kind, prune
to an upward pointing bud. If the branches are upright, prune to an
outward facing bud. Remove any shoots or laterals from the bottom
10cm/4" of the main stem and, if necessary, prune out any shoots which
are crowding the centre to 1 bud. Subsequent years - In Winter prune the new growth on each main branch by half, choosing the bud as above. Prune back any wood which has died back to healthy wood. Once the bush has reached the desired height, prune main leader and branches to leave 8cm/3" of the previous summer's growth every winter. Remove any shoots or laterals from the bottom 10cm/4" of the main stem as well as any suckers at the base of the plant. In June prune all the new growth on laterals to 5 leaves of the current year's new growth. Summer pruning should be completed by Mid July. |
 After
planting in winter, prune the main leader by half
to an outward facing bud and prune all side laterals on the main
stem to 3 buds. Remove any shoots or laterals from the bottom
10cm/4" of the main stem. Cordons will need support by being tied to
canes which are fixed to wires. Repeat this pruning 3 years
running. Remove any suckers around the base of the plant.Subsequent years - In Winter prune the new growth on the main leader by one quarter to an outward facing bud and prune all laterals/side shoots on the main stem to a bud about 7.5cm/3" from the main stem. Remove any shoots or laterals from the bottom 10cm/4" of the main stem as well as any suckers at the base of the plant. Once the leader has reached the desired height, prune back to 3 buds of the current year's new growth. In June prune all laterals to 5 leaves of the current year's new growth. Summer pruning should be completed by Mid July. |
| Pests | Diseases |
| Birds
- like to eat the berries which can decimate the crop. Protect
with netting, cotton or cages. Aphids - can cause leaves to curl or honeydew or mould to form on the fruit and leaves. There are chemicals available to combat aphids which can be bought at garden centres. Organic methods include spraying with diluted washing up liquid ( 1 teasp per 2 litres of water), companion planting of flowers such as marigolds nearby. Capsid Bugs - suck the sap from the tips of shoots causing lots of little holes. Treat as for aphids above. Gooseberry Sawfly - caterpillars feeds on leaves and often strip the plant of all it's foliage in a short space of time. Spray with liquid derris as soon as the larvae are noticed. |
Leaf Spot - dark brown spots appear on leaves which get
bigger and join up until the whole leaf turns brown. Remove and burn
diseased leaves. Immediately after flowering spray with a copper
fungicide. |
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