Gooseberries are one of the most independent, easy to grow fruits you can have in your garden. You can leave them to do their own thing, and still have beautiful, soft, sweet gooseberries at the end of it.
How is it done?
We recommend growing your gooseberries in a sunny spot, but believe it or not, your gooseberries will grow perfectly in more shaded areas as well. They’re perfect for those north facing gardens. Additionally, we’d usually recommend sheltering your growing fruits,
but gooseberries can handle exposed positions.
(We advise covering your plant with some good netting to protect from weather damage,
birds, and other wildlife!)
You need a good, moist, but well-drained soil that doesn’t become waterlogged in the rainy, wintery seasons. It will also benefit your gooseberries to add organic matter or soil improver to your plants. If your soil is more clay based, this will help with draining the water away, equally if your soil is more sand based, this will retain some all-important moisture. Planting gooseberries is best throughout November-December time; however you can plant all the way up until the end of February. Plant your gooseberry bushes around 5FT apart.
They will fruit well on older wood and can be placed against walls or fences. Your hole should be around 2-2.5ft wide and 1ft deep. From here, the best practice is to add your organic matter into the bottom of your hole, exposing the roots of your gooseberry bush to the good stuff. You can add in some soil improver with some plant food and water after filling your hole.
During dry spells of weather, you should be watering your plant regularly, particularly within
the first year of growing. If the soil is looking dry, and your fruits are beginning to swell, add
some more water. Always be on the lookout for topping up the mulch to help retain the important moisture. Give your plants a good feed in the early spring and prune each year to allow new growths to shoot, you’ll find this helps to encourage a bigger growth over the next year.
For more garden advice, you can check out reputable online garden retailers and such as Two Wests.