How to grow Gooseberry in the UK
- TypeBush or cane
- Ready to pickJune, July
- Space neededabout 1.2m x 1.2m
When is gooseberry ready to pick?
June (sharp, for cooking) to July (sweet, for eating).
Pick half the crop green in June for cooking - the rest grow bigger and sweeter for July. Wear gloves, they're prickly!
Looking after gooseberry
- Prune in winter to an open goblet shape so air flows through the middle
- Spread compost round them in spring
Storing and keeping
Fridge for a week, or freeze for crumbles.
Pests and problems
Gooseberry sawfly caterpillars can strip the leaves in days in May-June - check under the leaves and pick them off.
Good varieties
- Invicta: Heavy crops and resists mildew - the easy one.
- Hinnonmaki Red: Red gooseberries, sweet enough to eat raw.
- Pax: Hardly any thorns - kinder to little hands.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free