How to plant a bare-root gooseberry
Bare-root gooseberries are best planted in the dormant season. We show you how.
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Bare-root (or field-grown) gooseberries are supplied over winter when plants are dormant. They will grow away well in the spring, and will crop after a couple of years.
Read our guide to growing gooseberries.
Before planting, stand the plants in a bucket of water, leaving them to soak for about 20 minutes. This will reinvigorate the plants and help them to establish successfully.
Here's our three-step guide to planting a bare-root gooseberry.
You Will Need
- Garden spade
- Bare-root gooseberry bush
- Bonemeal fertiliser
- Secateurs
- Well-rotted manure or garden compost
- Watering can
Total time: 30 minutes
Step 1
Place the plant into prepared soil to the same depth as it was in the nursery - you should be able to spot a 'tide mark'. Incorporate some bonemeal fertiliser or well-rotted manure into the planting hole.
Step 2
Prune young shoots back to outward facing buds to create a strong, open bush shape on which stubby fruiting spurs can develop.
Step 3
Give your newly planted bush a good soak with water before mulching with well-rotted manure or garden compost.
Plant in a sunny spot
Gooseberries thrive in full sunshine, so plant them in a south or west-facing spot.
Gooseberry varieties to try
'Invicta' - a heavy cropper that's resistant to mildew
'Martlet' - a dessert variety with red berries
'Rokula' - an early ripener, resistant to mildew, with sweet berries