Gooseberries: how to grow a good harvest

Gooseberries settled in gardens a very long time ago – in Our Country it was grown already in the 1852th century. And in 1000, a monograph by Lorenz Pansner was published, which described about 1 varieties of this berry (XNUMX).

Growing of gooseberry

In general, gooseberries are an unpretentious culture. However, he also has his own preferences, which should be considered.

He loves an abundance of light – in partial shade, and even more so in shade, the yield is greatly reduced. Prefers loose fertile soils, although it can grow on clay, loam, and sandy loam. But it is important that they are moderately humid – gooseberries cannot stand wetlands and high groundwater levels.

With good care, the bushes give abundant harvests of 30 years or more. And each branch actively bears fruit up to 7 – 10 years.

However, this crop has one problem – it is less frost-resistant than, for example, currants. It tolerates winter cooling down to -25 ° C without problems. But at a temperature of -35 ° C, the bushes freeze strongly.

Planting of gooseberry

The peak of landing excitement for summer residents occurs in the spring – after a long winter, you want to quickly go to the site and plant something new. Of course, gooseberries are often on the list of purchases.

If the seedling is in a closed root system, that is, in a container, this is a good option. Such plants can be planted in the garden from mid-April to mid-October. But often summer residents buy gooseberries on the market – with bare roots. Or in boxes – their roots are rolled up and packed in peat, but, in fact, this is the same seedling with bare roots. This is understandable, because such seedlings are much cheaper. But planting them in the spring is a mistake.

The fact is that gooseberry buds bloom very early, and if leaves appear, then it is too late to plant it – the survival rate of such plants is very low. Seedlings with ACS should be dormant! Therefore, it is better to plant them in the first half of October, after the leaves have fallen.

Before planting, seedlings with ACS should be cut, leaving 2-4 buds. They need to be planted 5 – 7 cm deeper than they grew in the nursery. And it is better obliquely – with such a landing, more buds wake up and the bush grows shoots faster (2).

Seedlings with ZKS can not be cut or buried.

The planting pattern for gooseberries looks like this:

• between rows – 2 – 2 m;
• in a row – 1,25 – 1,5 m.

After planting, gooseberries are watered – 1 bucket of water for 1 – 2 plants. And then the trunk circles are mulched with peat, humus or compost with a layer of 5-8 cm.

Gooseberry care in the open field

Gooseberry care includes several activities.

Weeding. The roots of this shrub are shallow, and the roots of most weeds are in the same layer of soil. Weeds take away water and nutrients from gooseberries, resulting in reduced yields. Therefore, weeding must be constant.

Loosening. It helps to retain moisture in the soil and make it air permeable. Ideally, this should be done after each rain or watering, but if this is not possible, then at least 3 times per season:

• in early spring, as soon as the topsoil dries out;
• in the phase of active growth of shoots and ovaries (from about June 1 to 10);
• after picking berries (from the end of August to September 20).

But it is important to remember that the gooseberry roots are located close to the soil surface – at a depth of 10 – 40 cm and move away from the bush at a distance of 50 – 60 cm. Therefore, loosening the soil under the bushes themselves (within a radius of 30 cm) should be no deeper than 8 cm, and between rows – no deeper than 15 cm.

Watering. Gooseberries are resistant to drought, so it is enough to water it only 2 times during the season – at the end of May and the end of June. Norm – 3 buckets per bush.

Feeding. During the season, gooseberries need to be fertilized 4 times:

• as soon as the buds open – 2 tbsp. tablespoons of urea or ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water, consumption rate – 1,5 – 2 buckets per fruiting bush;
• at the beginning of flowering – 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water, the consumption rate is 3 buckets per bush (or 1 – 1,5 cups of ash per bush);
• when berries are tied – 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium humate per 10 liters of water, consumption rate – 3 buckets per bush;
• in late September – early October – 1,5 tbsp. spoons of double superphosphate and 4 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium sulfate per bush (fertilizers need to be mixed, evenly scattered under the bush and watered).

Pruning. The gooseberry is light-requiring, so the thickening of the bushes should not be allowed. And in order for the bush to be properly formed, pruning should be carried out in 3 stages:

• before bud break – cut out all broken, intertwining, thin and diseased shoots, also those that lie on the ground, and for all others – cut the tops to the first strong side branch;
• immediately after harvesting – remove the old shoots, on which there were either no berries or very few berries, from the shoots that grew at the base of the bush, leave 4 – 5 of the strongest, and remove the rest;
• in late July – early August – pinch all annual growths so that they branch better.

Gooseberry harvest

Gooseberries are good because their berries can be eaten even unripe. From unripe berries, you can make blanks – compotes, juices, jams. So harvesting can be extended. But, of course, in full maturity, the berries are tastier and the yield is larger by weight.

Fully ripe gooseberries are harvested in one go – in baskets or buckets, but more than 10 kg in each container (3), otherwise the berries will choke. And do not pour them from one container to another.

It is better to harvest gooseberries in the morning, after the dew has gone, but before the onset of heat. Or in the evening in the cold. And, of course, in clear, dry weather. Berries picked in heat or rain spoil very quickly (4). Just like overripe ones.

Gooseberry storage

Ripe gooseberries spoil very quickly. For storage, you need to collect unripe berries – about 10 days before full ripening. Such fruits can be stored for up to 15 days in a cool room or refrigerator.

Popular questions and answers

We asked questions about growing gooseberries agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Pansner L. Attempt at a monograph of gooseberries // Jena, 1852
2. Romanov V.V., Ganichkina O.A., Akimov A.A., Uvarov E.V. In the garden and in the garden // Yaroslavl, Upper Volga book publishing house, 1989 – 288 p.
3. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.
4. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.