How to grow Gooseberry in Australia

Where to plant

Gooseberries need a long, cold winter to flower and fruit well, and they dislike hot, humid summers, which also bring powdery mildew. They are more shade tolerant than most berries. Fruit is sweeter in sun, but in Australian summers a spot with morning sun and shade from the hot afternoon sun is safer. Choose a sheltered position, as the stems are brittle and snap in strong wind when laden with fruit, and avoid frost hollows where late spring frosts damage the flowers.

The soil should hold moisture without becoming waterlogged. Dig in well-rotted manure or compost before planting.

• Hobart and the rest of Tasmania: the best gooseberry country in Australia. Plant June to August.
• Canberra and the cold tablelands: winters are cold enough. Plant June to August and give the bush afternoon shade through hot summers.
• Melbourne and Adelaide: marginal. Gardening Australia warns that even Melbourne is not really cold enough for good crops. Try the coolest, most sheltered spot you have, or in Adelaide the Hills rather than the plains, and expect lighter crops.
• Sydney, Perth, South East Queensland, the Northern Rivers, North Queensland and the Top End: not suited, as winters lack chill and summers are too hot or humid. Only the upper Blue Mountains and the cooler south west of Western Australia come close.

Choosing a variety

Culinary types are picked green and sour for cooking, while dessert types sweeten on the bush and can be eaten fresh. Many varieties do both. Old varieties grown in Tasmania include Leatherjacket, which stays yellow, and Crown Bob, which turns reddish and is sweeter. Gardening Australia also names Farmers Glory, Oregon Champion and Yorkshire Champion as old varieties big on flavour.

Thornless varieties are sold and are easier to pick, though Gardening Australia suggests the old thorny varieties have more flavour. Where you can find them, mildew-resistant varieties are worth choosing; the RHS lists Invicta and Greenfinch.

How to plant

1. Plant in winter while the bush is dormant, from June to August. Potted plants can go in at other times if you keep them watered.
2. Dig in well-rotted manure or compost, and a little complete fertiliser or blood and bone, over a wide area.
3. Plant at the same depth as the bush sat in its pot, or to the soil mark on the stems of a bare-root plant.
4. Space bushes 1.2 to 1.5 m apart. Bushes grown flat against a fence as single-stem cordons can go 30 to 40 cm apart.
5. Water in well and mulch, keeping the mulch a little clear of the stems.

Watering and feeding

Water regularly for the first two years while the roots establish, and always in hot, dry spells in spring and summer when the fruit is swelling. A thick layer of mulch keeps the shallow roots cool and moist, which matters more in Australian summers than in the cool climates where gooseberries come from.

Mulch with compost or well-rotted manure each year in late winter. Go easy on nitrogen: soft, sappy growth is the kind most easily attacked by powdery mildew. A fertiliser higher in potassium suits fruiting better.

Pruning and care

Gooseberries fruit at the base of last year's shoots and on short spurs on older wood. The usual shape is an open-centred bush, like a goblet, with eight to ten main branches on a short clear stem. An open centre lets air move through, which cuts mildew, and makes the thorny bush easier to pick.

• Winter, while dormant: shorten last year's growth on the main branches to three or four buds, and cut side shoots back to two buds. Every year or two, remove one to three of the oldest branches so new ones replace them.
• Early summer: shorten this season's side shoots to about five leaves. Leave any shoots you want to keep as replacement branches.
• Rub off shoots that grow from the short main stem, and cut away low branches that will touch the ground when loaded with fruit.
• Rake up and remove fallen leaves in autumn, as leaf spot and mildew survive the winter on them.
• Net the bush before the fruit ripens if birds are a problem.

Harvesting

Gooseberries ripen in early summer, from about December. Pick in two rounds. Take about every second berry while still green and firm for cooking, which lets the rest grow larger, then pick the remainder once they soften and colour for eating fresh. An established bush can give a few kilograms of fruit a year.

Wear gloves. Gardening Australia's tip is to reach in from the outside towards the centre of the bush, so your hand goes the same way as the thorns.

Growing in pots

A gooseberry grows well in a pot at least 40 cm wide and deep with good drainage holes, filled with quality potting mix. A pot also lets you move the bush into shade on hot days. Keep the mix evenly moist, as pots dry out quickly, and feed lightly with a fertiliser suited to fruiting plants through spring.

Propagation

Gooseberries root easily from hardwood cuttings taken in winter. Cut pieces of healthy, pencil-thick stem from this season's growth, about 30 cm long, dip the base in rooting hormone and push them into a pot of well-drained mix or a sheltered bed. Roots and new shoots usually show within six to eight weeks, and the cuttings can be potted up or planted out the next winter.