RHS Growing Guides
How to grow gooseberries
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Gooseberries.
Getting Started
Gooseberries come in an array of colours and sizes, both for eating and cooking
Robust, hardy and happy in sun or light shade, gooseberries are easy to look after, both in the ground and in containers. These versatile plants can be grown as bushes, 1–1.5m (3½–5ft) tall and wide, or trained into space-saving and attractive shapes. These include narrow single-stemmed cordons and wide fans spread flat against a wall or fence. Tall slender cordons, in particular, take up little ground space and can be planted closer together, allowing you to grow several different varieties in a small area. They can also be grown as standards – shaped like a lollipop, with a bushy head on a tall stem. These are usually bought ready-trained, using grafted or budded plants that have a clear ‘trunk’ about 1m (3¼ft) tall. This attractive form makes good use of space, as you can grow other plants beneath them.
Most gooseberries should be pruned twice a year to keep them in good shape and maximise harvests, but this is a straightforward process and they need little other maintenance.
Month by Month
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Choosing
Not all gooseberries are green – those with red fruit are tasty and ornamental
Plant size and vigour can vary slightly depending on the variety, ranging from 1m (3¼ft) up to 1.5m (5ft) tall and wide. Most varieties have prickly stems, although a few are (almost) thornless, which makes pruning and harvesting easier. Some varieties are less susceptible to mildew, and most are happy in sun or light shade.
When choosing varieties, look for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in trials. If you visit any of the RHS gardens, you’ll find a wide range of fruit, including gooseberries, grown in various ways, so you can easily compare different varieties and pick up useful growing tips.
What and where to buy
Gooseberries can be bought as bare-root or container-grown plants. Bare-root plants are only available while dormant, from late autumn to early spring, usually by mail order from fruit nurseries. Potted plants are available for most of the year and are widely sold in garden centres as well as by online retailers. Bare-root plants are usually slightly cheaper than potted ones.
For growing as a bush, choose a two- to three-year-old plant with a well-balanced head of three to five main branches and a clear stem of 10–15cm (4–6in). For a cordon, choose either a plant with one vigorous stem, a rooted cutting or a partly trained cordon. For growing as a standard, it is easiest to buy a plant that has already been grafted and trained, as these take a long time to grow and train from scratch.
Recommended Varieties
Culinary/dessert variety Large tangy green berries that will sweeten and turn yellow if left on the bush.
Culinary variety Highly productive, with green fruits. Mildew resistant, fairly compact and not too spiny.
Culinary variety Heavy crops of well-flavoured berries. Vigorous, with some resistance to mildew.
Planting
Gooseberries are robust and hardy plants that can be grown in a wide range of locations. They cope in most soil conditions, but prefer moist, well-drained ground. They can also be planted in large containers.
They crop best and produce sweeter fruits in a sunny position, but will tolerate some shade. They can, for example, be grown in the dappled shade under fruit trees or trained against a north-facing wall. Choose a sheltered site, as the stems are brittle and can snap in windy conditions, especially when laden with fruit. Avoid sites prone to late frosts, as these can damage the flowers and so reduce fruiting. Consider planting in a fruit cage, to protect the buds and fruit from birds.
Container-grown gooseberries in small pots make for easy planting
You can plant bare-root gooseberries from late autumn to early spring, and container-grown plants at any time – although avoid planting when the ground is waterlogged, parched or frozen. Late autumn is ideal, as it gives plants plenty of time to settle in before the new growing season starts in spring.
Take care to position the plant at the same depth it was previously growing – so with container-grown plants align the top of the compost level with the soil surface, and with bare-root plants align the soil mark on the stem. Allow the following spacings between plants: bushes and standards 1.2–1.5m (4–5ft) apart, cordons 30–38cm (12–15in) apart, fans: 1–1.5m (3¼–5ft) apart.
Planting gooseberries is very straightforward – see our guides below:
Planting in a container
If planting your gooseberry in a pot, choose one that’s at least 40cm (16in) wide and deep, with plenty of drainage holes in the base. Fill with a good quality, soil-based compost such as peat-free John Innes No.3.
Supporting plants
All trained gooseberries, apart from bush plants, need supports. Insert a sturdy bamboo cane at planting time to keep the main stem stable – up to 1.7m (5½ft) tall for cordons and up to 1m (3¼ft) tall for standards. Fans and cordons also need a system of horizontal wires – usually two, at 60cm (2ft) and 1.2m (4ft) from the ground, attached to posts or to a wall or fence.
Plant Care
Newly-planted gooseberries and those grown in containers need some regular maintenance to ensure they establish and grow well. Once established, plants in the ground generally need little attention, apart from pruning to keep them neat and productive and an annual mulch in spring.
Watering
Water newly-planted gooseberries regularly during dry spells for the first couple of years after planting. After that, watering is seldom required for plants growing in the ground.
Gooseberries in pots need a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season, so check the compost regularly and water as needed aiming to keep the compost evenly moist. Aim to water early in the morning or in the evening, to limit moisture loss from the soil by evaporation, ideally using stored rainwater.
As plants grow and fill their pots, check that excess water can drain freely from the holes in the bottom, as waterlogged compost can cause roots to rot.
Watering is particularly important when plants are flowering and swelling fruit
Mulching
Mulch gooseberries growing in the ground each spring, spreading a thick layer of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, on the soil around the base of the bushes. This helps to enrich the soil, reduce moisture loss and deter weeds. Just make sure to leave a small mulch-free circle immediately around the base of the stems to avoid rotting.
Feeding
Gooseberries growing in regularly mulched soil shouldn't need any additional feeding. However, if your soil is poor or your plant is showing signs of nutrient deficiency, apply a granular fertiliser in early spring. Use our page on nutrient deficiencies to work out what is lacking and apply the recommended feed, following instructions on the packet.
Gooseberries growing in pots benefit from regular feeding to stay healthy and productive. Either apply an organic high potassium liquid fertiliser fortnightly through the growing season or add a handful of a granular high potassium fertiliser to the compost during topdressing in spring (see below).
Avoid feeding plants with too much nitrogen, as this can encourage sappy growth, which is prone to mildew.
Repotting
Container-grown gooseberries need repotting every few years into a larger container of peat-free compost – this is best done in spring. Once it becomes impractical to move the bush to a larger pot, repot into the same one, removing and replacing any loose compost and lightly trimming the roots.
In the years between repotting, topdress by removing the top layer of compost and replacing with fresh.
Propagating
You can make new gooseberry plants by taking hardwood cuttings from stems removed during winter pruning. Cuttings should be around 30cm (1ft) long and can be rooted into pots of cuttings compost or inserted directly into a trench outdoors. Cuttings should root readily and produce several new shoots come spring.
Take care to only propagate from young, healthy plants as older ones may carry diseases that can be transferred to the resulting new plants.
Pruning and Training
Gooseberries are most often pruned to create an open-centred bush
Gooseberries can be trained into various forms, including bushes, cordons, standards and fans, each needing a slightly different pruning technique. For full details, see our guide below:
Harvesting
Pick gooseberries with their stalk attached, to avoid damaging the skin
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In June, when the fruits are still green and under-ripe, pick every other fruit and use for making jam, pies, tarts and sauces. The remaining fruits should then grow larger than if you allow them all to ripen fully
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In July and August, harvest the rest of the fruits once they are ripe, for maximum flavour and sweetness. Pick fully ripened gooseberries carefully as they’re soft and burst easily
An established bush should produce 2.5–5.5kg (6–12lb) of fruit per year, and a cordon about 1kg (2lb).
Problems
It’s a good idea to grow gooseberries in a fruit cage if possible, or cover them with plastic-free or reused netting for short spells, both in winter to prevent bullfinches damaging the buds and in summer to protect the ripening berries from birds. Several insects and fungal diseases can also affect gooseberries (see Common Problems, below), so check plants regularly. Some gooseberry varieties offer resistance to mildew.
If frost is forecast while plants are flowering, cover with biodegradable fleece overnight, then remove during the day to allow pollinating insects to access the flowers.
Get involved
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