Good to Grow Gooseberries

Small, shaggy, striped balls, sometimes greenish-yellow, sometimes carmine-red, with a taste that is both sweet and tangy. It’s rarely the star of the gourmet garden, but it always delights the Nordic gardener, because it produces generously after a long, cold winter.

Redcurrant, Gooseberry or Blackcurrant?

When we talk about gooseberries, one major existential question quickly comes to mind. It is to know the difference between a gooseberry bush, a currant bush, and a blackcurrant bush. This distinction is both botanical and taxonomic. First, gooseberries, which interest us here, flower on wood that is more than a year old, and the flowers, and possibly the fruits, are arranged along the stems, either alone or in groups of three at most.

For their part, redcurrants and blackcurrants bear inflorescences in elongated clusters. The branches of gooseberries bear numerous thorns. This makes them less attractive to gardeners. It is a characteristic that hybridizers are trying to correct by developing less spiny varieties. If you are interested in Latin, gooseberries are crosses from Ribes uva-crispa and our North American species, the hairy gooseberry (Ribes hirtellum). Blackcurrants and redcurrants belong to various other botanical species.

Once Banned, Now Allowed!

Gooseberries were introduced into the first gardens in the province of Quebec, as early as the colonization period. History tells us that gooseberries were somewhat banned from gardens between 1920 and 1960 because they were secondary hosts of pine rust. The cultivars now on the market have overcome this obstacle with more disease-resistant genetics. It is still recommended not to plant blackcurrant, currant, or gooseberry bushes within 400 meters of a white pine.

This small shrub, which measures between 90 cm (3 feet) and 1.5 m (5 feet), is relatively easy to grow. It’s an undemanding plant that produces for over 30 years. The fruits, the size of a small grape, are green, with pink or purple highlights when ripe, depending on the cultivar. Most are eaten fresh, picked straight from the plant. Gooseberries are also very interesting in jams and sauces.

At the first sign of spring, gooseberry bushes unfurl their leaves. Flowers soon follow. The good news is that the plants are self-fertile, and a single bush is enough to produce fruit. However, productivity can be increased by growing multiple plants or installing beehives to facilitate pollination.

Some Interesting Varieties for Nordic Gardens

As for the varieties, they are divided into two groups: American and European varieties, depending on their origin and the species used in crossbreeding. Although it is recognized that American cultivars are by far the best to plant in Canadian soil, the fact remains that the most popular and easiest variety to find on the market is a European variety, ‘Hinnonmaki Red’, a Finnish hybrid where flavor and yield impressive. The red fruits are produced on thorny plants that have good disease resistance. You can also get its greenish-yellow fruit in the person of ‘Hinnonmaki Yellow’. As for the American varieties, ‘Captivator’ and ‘Pixwell’ stand out for their less thorny branches and ‘Poorman’ is known for its good productivity.

When planting, choose a sunny location, if the soil is cool and well watered. Gooseberries can also be planted in semi-shaded areas. The soil must be loose and well drained, that’s all. Yes, these plants also grow well in clay soils. In short, the plants are undemanding at first, and you can obtain a significant production from the third year after planting. For a family, we recommend planting one to three plants, depending on the family members’ interest in this fruit with its unique flavor.

How to Prune Gooseberry Bushes?

A gooseberry bush can produce for years, especially if rejuvenation pruning is performed. This pruning, which is done very early in the spring before the leaves appear, consists of completely removing branches that have become too old, that is, those that are more than four years old. They are cut as close to the ground as possible. This aerates the plant and encourages the development of new branches that will bear abundant fruit. The most productive branches are the two- or three-year-old stems. It is therefore important to allow for a balance between productive branches and future succession.

Some Enemies to Watch

The ease of growing gooseberries, however, is hampered by certain obstacles. Most cultivars available on the market are resistant to powdery mildew, rust, and other diseases that once attacked the plants. However, insects still pose a threat, particularly gooseberry sawflies, whose larvae, resembling green caterpillars with black spots, can devour a plant’s foliage in a matter of days.

Larvae are controlled by catching them early, by hand picking. A potion made from water and insecticidal soap is effective only on young larvae, if used daily, from the beginning of the infestation, taking care to spray the underside of the leaves. Adult larvae, against which there are few effective biological control methods, drop to the ground for the metamorphosis stage into the adult stage. Hoeing the soil after harvesting the fruit exposes the cocoons, which reduces the chances of survival. The fruits are also beloved by birds and their access to the precious pearls is blocked by a simple net placed over the plant before the ripening period.

The gooseberry bush fits easily into a bed of shrubs and mixed perennials. It can be used as a free-standing hedge, provided it is planted at a distance to encourage good air circulation around the plants. You can also grow thyme, savory, or wild strawberries as ground cover at its base. In short, it’s a lovely addition to gourmet flowerbeds and a little extra treat to nibble on while wandering around the garden.