Gooseberry

Gooseberry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, widely branched bush of 0.5–1.5 m.

Leaf

Alternate or in clusters, rounded, 3–5-lobed, 2–5 cm.

Bark

Stems with 1–3 spines below each bud.

Flower

Small, hanging, greenish-red flowers in April.

Fruit

Large green, yellow or red berries, smooth or hairy (July).

Difference from redcurrant

Redcurrant has no spines and carries its berries in strings.

Flowering: April · Harvest and fruit: June–July · Pruning: July–August and November–February

Identify by feature: Thorns or prickles

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Redcurrant Ribes rubrum: no spines; berries in strings. Difference from redcurrant

Why grow it?

• Large, refreshing berries in July, fresh or in pies and jam.
• Native, hardy and easy; also crops in partial shade.
• Self-fertile: a single bush already gives a crop.
• Early flowers in April for bees and bumblebees.

Gooseberry: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; in the sun the berries are sweeter.
• Any ordinary, humus-rich garden soil that neither dries out nor gets waterlogged.
• Allow about 1.2 m width; grown as a standard it takes up even less space.
• An airy spot, not a stuffy corner, limits mildew.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

1.5 m tall, 1.2 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Redcurrant: The same care and pruning: together a soft-fruit corner.
• Blackcurrant: Harvested in the same month; together great for jam.
• Jostaberry: A cross between gooseberry and blackcurrant, without spines.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Suits the woodland edge or the light shade of: ginkgo, box elder, ash, honey locust, field maple, silver maple

Best kept away from

• Blister rust alternates between currants and this pine: weymouth pine

Gooseberry: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or from a pot.
2. Space the bushes 1–1.5 m apart.
3. Mix compost into the soil and plant at the same depth as before.
4. A standard gooseberry needs a sturdy support stake.

Care

Watering

In dry spells, especially as the berries swell in June–July.

Feeding

Compost in spring; too much nitrogen makes it prone to mildew.

Mulching

A layer of compost or leaves keeps the soil moist and cool.

Harvest

In June, pick some of the berries green for pies or compote; those left on grow larger and ripen in July.

Tip: Choose a mildew-resistant variety and plant it in an airy spot: it saves a lot of disappointment.

Gooseberry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July–August and November–February.

When: In winter, with an optional summer prune after harvest.

How:

• Keep the bush open like a cup: remove the oldest branches and shorten the side shoots to 2–3 buds.
• It fruits on one-year-old wood and on short fruiting spurs of older branches: each year, replace a few of the oldest branches with strong young shoots.
• After harvest, shorten this year’s side shoots to five leaves: more light and air, and less mildew.

Caution: Wear gloves: there are spines below every bud.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Hardwood cuttings

In autumn, cut 25–30 cm lengths of one-year-old wood, remove the lower buds (this gives you a short leg) and push them halfway into the ground.

Layering

Bend a low branch down to the ground and cover it with soil; after a year it has roots.

Gooseberry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• It flowers as early as April: late night frost can damage the flowers, but there are usually enough left.

Diseases and pests

• American gooseberry mildew: A white, later brown, felty coating on berries and shoot tips. Keep the bush open, cut off affected tips and choose a resistant variety.
• Gooseberry sawfly: Green, black-spotted larvae strip the bush from the inside in May–June. Check under the leaves in spring and pick them off.
• Leaf spot: Small brown spots and early leaf fall in summer. Clear up the fallen leaves.
• Birds: Blackbirds peck at the ripe berries. Put a net over the bush once they start to colour.

Through the year

• January: Winter pruning: remove the oldest branches, shorten side shoots.
• February: Last winter pruning.
• March: Compost and mulch.
• April: Flowers for bees and bumblebees.
• May: Check under the leaves for sawfly larvae.
• June: Pick some of the berries green.
• July: Harvest; then summer pruning.
• August: Finish summer pruning.
• November: Planting and hardwood cuttings; winter pruning can begin.
• December: Winter pruning.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

Gooseberries, fresh or in jam and pies.

Edible and useful

Berries (June–July)

In June, pick gooseberries while still green and hard for cooking: they are tart and ideal for jam, compote, crumble, chutney or a sauce for oily fish. In July they are ripe, soft and sweet, and lovely eaten straight from the bush. Snip off the stalk and the dry flower remains with small scissors.

Storing

Gooseberries keep for a week in the fridge. Once topped and tailed, they freeze well raw. As jam or chutney in clean, hot jars.

Caution: Gooseberries are safe; do wear gloves against the thorns. Do not eat large amounts of green, unripe berries raw: they are very sour.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Gooseberry and elderflower jam (Jam · ± 4 jars · 40 min)
• Gooseberry chutney (Other · ± 3 jars · 1.5 hours)
• Gooseberry fool (Dish · 4 glasses · 25 min + 2 hrs chilling)
• Gooseberry and mint cordial (Syrup · ± 600 ml · 45 min + overnight draining)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Bumblebees

Nectar and pollen for bumblebees, also from deep flowers and early in spring.

Caterpillars

Host plant: caterpillars of butterflies or moths eat the leaves.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• Like other currants, an alternate host of white pine blister rust.
• The French name, ‘groseille à maquereau’ (mackerel currant), comes from the gooseberry sauce once served with mackerel.
• In the north of England, gooseberry clubs have held contests for the heaviest gooseberry for more than two centuries.
• In French the gooseberry is called groseille à maquereau, ‘mackerel currant’: the sour berries were once served in a sauce with mackerel.
• In northern England, societies have held contests for the heaviest gooseberry for more than two centuries. The best known is the show at Egton Bridge.