How To Grow a Gooseberry Bush

Gooseberry Bushes
An ideal fruit for the small garden - gooseberry bushes are easy to grow, produce a large amount of fruit for their size and will tolerate partial shade conditions.

They are self-fertile, so one bush can be grown on its own. Gooseberry bushes are also well able to withstand harsher conditions (both temperature and wind) than many other fruits. This makes them a good choice for cooler areas.

Usually grown in the form of a small bush, they can be trained to any shape and are especially recommended for pot culture.

GOOSEBERRY QUICK GUIDE

Latin Name
Ribes grossularia

Type
Hardy deciduous shrub (height 1m (3ft), spread 1.5m (5ft)).

Site and Soil
Sunny (part shade is OK). Soil well drained, well-dug and composted before planting.

Plant to Harvest Time
2 years.

How Many?
5kg (11lbs) per plant

Where To Grow Your Gooseberry Bush

Gooseberry bushes are very tolerant of different conditions, although in an ideal setting they prefer full sun in cooler areas. The lower temperatures allow the fruit to mature slowly rather than being 'cooked' into maturity by a warm sun. They are well-suited to the Midlands and North West of England. Tolerant of partial shade, the variety Whinhams Industry prefers a partial shaded site - a North facing wall suits it fine.

Right - the variety Leveller.
Possibly the best tasting gooseberry.

Unfortunately, gooseberries are not so tolerant of bad soil conditions - they need a medium weight soil which is well-drained but not dry. They need moisture in the soil if the fruits are to develop fully. They do not require a very fertile soil, too fertile and the plant produces too much weak green growth at the expense of good fruit.

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