Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.7
Gooseberries are gorgeous to look at, but
NEVER eat an unripe one. (Photo by Norwood Industries
Pty Ltd)
Figure 10.6
Once the plant has established, prune out
fruiting wood to ground level or to a strong side growth
at harvest. In winter, thin the newest growth selecting the
strongest stems that will carry next year's fruit. Cut out
the weak.
summer to encourage spurs and ensure that it
will not drag its fruit load on the ground.
the reds and whites, the berries do not hold
on the bush, so harvest as soon as you notice
the first of the cluster dropping.
Pruningtime
Prune in winter when it is easy to see the dark
peeling stems that indicate old wood.
Thinning the one-year-old stems allows light
and air into the plant and makes picking
more comfortable - gooseberries have
ferocious thorns!
Gooseberry
Ribes
spp.
Gooseberries are a favourite cool-climate
home-garden fruit. The bushes themselves
are very frost-hardy but the fruits can be
damaged and are prone to splitting in wet
weather. They can be grown as a stool or
coppice (see 'Coppicing', page 84), or as bush
on a short trunk.
Harvest
If you want to make gooseberry preserves,
pick the berries when they are underripe. If
they are for fresh eating, wait until their
colour has developed fully - an unripe
gooseberry is savagely sour!
Fruitingwood
Gooseberries fruit mainly on spurs that are
two to three years old and, to a lesser extent,
on one-year-old side growths. When grown as
a coppice, cut out all wood more than three
years old and thin the one-year-old growth
that will bear spurs in the coming two years.
Shorten long and lanky one-year-old wood in
Strawberries
Fragariaxananassa
Strawberries are a short-lived herbaceous
perennial very prone to virus and moulds so
always buy certified virus-free stock and
replace your plants every four years. Never
