Gooseberries
Gooseberries are long-lasting bushes that can provide 5kg of fruit a year for 20-30 years. Delicious raw when ripe, or cooked in pies, tarts, etc. High in Vitamin A and potassium. Ripe fruits don’t keep well but unripe fruits store well for a week or two, or can be frozen. Flowers are borne on one-year old wood and on short spurs of older wood. Gooseberries can be grown in most free draining soils. When soil is to fertile, plant will produce more green growth rather then fruit growth. Best grown in places that have cooler winters. Gooseberries are hardy but susceptible to late spring frosts on soft new growth. A thick mulch of organic material is recommended to keep the soil cool in summer while later adding humus. Avoid frequent or deep cultivation in the root zone. Prune in winter to achieve an open, vase-shaped bush with 6-8 main branches. Allow stems to grow for 4-5 years, then selectively remove oldest stems to make room for new shoots. Plants grow to about 90cm x 120cm.
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