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Fruit & Berry Bushes
Pruning blueberries: A guide
Gooseberries are native to Europe and are well adapted to temperate climates. The hardy, robust shrub is easy to care for and the perfect addition to your berry hedge in the garden. Gooseberries are not only delicious but also very healthy. They are definitely worth growing! Read this article to find out what you need to consider when growing, caring for and harvesting them.
Gooseberries(Ribes uva-crispa) are a species of the genus Ribes, like the closely related currants. Together they form the gooseberry family(Grossulariaceae). The bushy, deciduous shrub can reach a height of up to 3 m, but rarely grows over 1.5 m in most gardens. Its branches are covered with the characteristic spines from which the berries got their name. The hanging inflorescences develop from the leaf axils between April and May. One to three flowers grow from each leaf axil. These flowers are hermaphrodite, which means that one flower can fertilize itself. After fertilization, small, hairy berries develop, which grow elongated or spherical depending on the variety and turn green, yellow or dark red.
Depending on the variety and color, the fruits differ in taste. Red gooseberries taste sweet and are hardly hairy, while green and yellow ones have a more acidic taste. Gooseberries are very healthy and contain many vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances. There is now a huge range of varieties. New breeds have already produced varieties without thorns, which makes harvesting much easier. In addition, there are now some varieties that are resistant to common fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Although this disease is not life-threatening for a gooseberry bush, it unfortunately makes the berries inedible. Leaves and fruit become covered in an unappetizing layer of mould. To ensure a good yield, a resistant variety can be an advantage.
Original wild forms of the gooseberry grow in light, moist to moderately moist forests or forest edges. For this reason, you should choose a location with nutrient-rich, loamy soil. Sandy soils that tend to dry out should be amended with compost. This improves the water retention capacity and also increases the pH value. Gooseberries prefer an alkaline location, and the pH value should be between 6 and 7. Otherwise, the shrub is not particularly demanding in terms of soil and climate. Choose a semi-shady spot, as the berries tend to get sunburnt from too much sun. The best place is in the shade of larger fruit trees or other shrubs. In addition, the shrub is more susceptible to powdery mildew in a full sun location (especially in combination with excessive nitrogen fertilization). Although low temperatures are not a problem for this hardy shrub, you should not plant it in areas where there is a risk of late frost. The early flower formation can otherwise cause damage to the flowers due to frost, which may cost you the harvest.
Gooseberry plants are grown bare-root (i.e. ungrafted) or as a grafted half or standard stem. Both forms are suitable for planting in the garden, it just depends on your preferences, wishes and the available space. A shrub needs 1.2 to 2 m of space, depending on the variety. In contrast, a standard is more space-saving and requires a planting distance of around 0.8 to 1 m, depending on the variety planted. If you want to plant a dense hedge, you can choose a smaller spacing.
Bushes with tall stems are easier to harvest. Grafted plants are particularly advantageous for varieties with many thorns, as they make care and harvesting easier. This growth form also saves space and can be grown on the balcony. On the other hand, young plants are more expensive to buy (this is due to the previous grafting of the shrubs) and you also need to install a support stake for the shrub. Due to the strong growth of the gooseberry, this support stake must be renewed regularly and adapted to the size. Another disadvantage of the tall stem is that the yield decreases. Due to the long trunk, there are fewer bearing branches and therefore less fruit.
A shrub, on the other hand, is more unclear in its growth, which makes harvesting more difficult. You also have to bend down to reach the berries. One advantage of planting a shrub is that the young plants are cheaper to buy. There is also no need to install and constantly renew a support stake. The yield of a shrub is also significantly higher than that of a standard plant.
Gooseberries are best planted in late fall (October - November) or early spring (by April at the latest). However, planting in the fall has the advantage that the shrub can grow properly over the winter. Gooseberries are shallow-rooted and therefore dry out relatively quickly, which makes it more difficult for them to grow. The winter moisture allows the shrub to root well in the soil and thus reliably sprout again in spring. When planting during dry periods in summer, you should therefore always make sure that the root ball is always moist.
You can also integrate gooseberries perfectly into a forest garden. This works with the principles of permaculture and mixed cultivation, creating a stable system that is less susceptible to diseases or pests. You can find out which fruit trees you can plant for this and how they can be underplanted in the article Planting fruit trees.
Although gooseberries are self-pollinating, you can increase the yield by planting plants of the Ribes genus next to each other. This includes not only other gooseberry varieties, but also currants and josta berries. The josta berry is a cross between the currantand the gooseberry. The flowers of your gooseberry bush can be fertilized by the pollen of all these plants. By having several plants, you increase the probability of fertilization enormously and therefore also your yield. You will also have a greater variety of different plants in your garden, which will delight insects and other garden inhabitants.
Good neighbors | Bad neighbors |
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Blueberries | Sage |
Currants | |
Garlic | |
Lemonbalm | |
Calendula | |
Chives | |
Tomatoes |
Here are examples of planting plans for gooseberries and currants. Berries work well in a home garden. You can also combine perennial berry bushes with annuals. We have prepared bed plans with berries, herbs and flowers. But you can also combine vegetables such as tomatoes with berries.
Shrubs are usually propagated vegetatively. You have two options: Cuttings or cuttings. Seed propagation hardly plays a role with gooseberries. Especially if there are several varieties growing in your garden and you want to propagate a specific variety. It is very difficult to check which plant has fertilized your berries. In most cases, this results in a seedling that is not identical to the mother plant. In this article, you will learn how to propagate gooseberries from cuttings.
Depending on what you plan to do with your gooseberries, you should harvest them at different stages of ripeness. Green fruits that are not yet fully ripe are best for making cakes, desserts or compotes. Depending on the variety, you can start harvesting at the end of May to the beginning of June. Harvesting fruit that is still green is also known as green picking. A special feature of gooseberries among berries is that their fruits continue to ripen after harvesting. This means you can simply leave the green berries to ripen and enjoy or process them at a later date. The remaining fruits on the bush benefit from a green pick, as they become sweeter and larger. If you prefer to make jams, you should wait a little longer before harvesting. The fruits should already have reached their final size and be harvested about the size of a cherry, slightly firm. To eat gooseberries fresh from the bush, you have to wait until July or August, depending on the variety. Only then will they have developed their full flavor.
Good luck with growing your own gooseberries! If you have any questions or other comments on the topic, please write to [email protected].
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Cover picture: MrGajowy3 on Pixabay.
Marie is an agronomist. She is particularly interested in the sustainable and organic cultivation of vegetables and other plants. In her own garden, she gained experience and likes to try things out to learn from nature. She is particularly interested in the values and principles of permaculture, in order to contribute not only to the well-being of nature, but also to the well-being of people and future generations.
Learn moreWhen is the best time to plant gooseberries?
The best time for planting is in late fall, between October and November. This allows the shrub to grow well over the winter. However, you can also plant in spring by April at the latest.
What is the right location for gooseberries?
Gooseberries like to grow in nutrient-rich, loamy soil with a pH value between 6 and 7. It is best to choose a semi-shady spot, as gooseberries tend to get sunburnt.
What are good neighbors for gooseberries?
You can plant blueberries, currants and jostaberries next to gooseberries. Other good neighbors are garlic, lemon balm, marigolds, chives and tomatoes.
Depending on the variety, gooseberries are harvested between July and August. If you want to harvest green fruits that are not yet fully ripe, you can start harvesting at the end of May.