When is the planting time for gooseberries?
In the container, gooseberries can be placed in the ground all year round, as long as it does not freeze. Basically, autumn is considered to be the optimal time for planting, during the months of October and November. If you miss this date, you grow the fruit in spring.
Which location is suitable?
If you choose the planting place carefully, this is already half the rent on the way to a rich harvest. That’s how the location should be:
- sunny to semi-shady location, without full midday sun
- already warm, protected and air rinsed
- nutrient-rich, humus soil
- moist, fresh and clay
- calcareous and well ventilated
Gooseberries have a hard time in sandy, dry soil. Here a targeted improvement of the soil is necessary with plenty of compost and a portion of clay.
What to consider when planting gooseberries?
The more finely crumbly the soil is structured, the faster the roots gain a foothold. Therefore, dig 2 spades deep into the ground before planting and rake carefully. The planting pits have twice the volume of the root ball. This is soaked in water before insertion until no more air bubbles rise. You keep going like this:
- mix the excavated material with compost and horn shavings
- insert the potted plant, press on the soil and water
- mulch with nettle leaves, comfrey or fern
- release a 10 cm radius around the root neck
If you are planting a small tree trunk, it needs a support pole. This should reach up to the crown, with a length of 140 centimeters.
What planting distance must be observed?
The selected variety essentially determines the planting distance. When planted in rows, it oscillates between 1.50 and 2 metres. High trunks can be placed at a distance of 1.30 metres to save space. Currently there are column gooseberries to be discovered, which are content with a distance of 0.80 centimeters.
When is the harvest time for gooseberries?
The harvest time usually extends from June to August. The advantage is that even half ripe fruits taste good. If the plant is full of berries, a part is harvested and is boiled down. The remaining load is then carried by the plant until it is fully ripe for fresh consumption.
How does the propagation succeed?
A gooseberry bush is quite uncomplicated to propagate. This is how the offspring succeed:
- in autumn, cut annual twigs of 20-25 centimetres in length
- defoliate the lower half of the shoot so that a maximum of 4 buds remain in the upper half
- Fill pots with growing soil to plant one cuttings in each pot
in autumn
Subsequently keep constantly moist. By spring or autumn this has developed into a vigorous young plant.
Tips & Tricks
A clever mixed culture keeps diseases away and increases the yield. If you plant lily of the valley, garlic, marigold and yarrow in the immediate vicinity of gooseberries, this measure promotes vitality, taste and harvest.
GTH
