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Posted on 3:57 AM by Wanto and filed under
By Anthony Philip
Use old well-rotted farmyard manure at a similar rate, but really old manure is so difficult to get these days that I usually discount it. It is important not to use too much nitrogen because one doesn't want to encourage the rapid growth of young shoots.
On the other hand, there still are special districts in East Sussex, like Newick and Chailey, where dessert gooseberries are grown in large quantities. Curiously enough, they pack their fruits in green bracken and these special packs are recognized in the London markets.
It is best to buy gooseberry bushes on a short stem or leg so that they stand well above the ground. This discourages suckers coming up from the roots and makes the bushes easier to pick and to manage. Further: when a bush has a leg 6-8 inches long, or more, it is possible to straw mulch underneath.
There are no special root stocks for gooseberries. They do perfectly well on their own roots. Gooseberry bushes undoubtedly need adequate quantities of potash and the sandier soils need more than the heavier clays as a rule. Fortunately, wood ashes produce the desired results, and so when prunings are burnt and when there is ash available from our wood fires, we keep them largely for the gooseberries and redcurrants. They are usually applied at the rate of 6-8 oz. to the sq. yard, and it is a good thing to give a dressing before planting, another one two years later, a third one three years after that, and then similar doses every third year onwards.
I start by cutting back the branches that are drooping to the ground, for it is from the soil that the mildew spores blow. Then he cuts out any wood that may be filling up the centre of the bush and so keeping out the light and air. And lastly, branches are thinned here and there as necessary with the aim of making picking easy to carry out in the summer. It must be remembered, of course, that by that time further young growths have developed. So although the branches may look a little sparse in the late winter after pruning, the bush soon 'fills up' in the spring and early summer.
In light soil this could be forked into the ground or rotor tilled into the ground before planting, but with heavy land it is better to apply the compost as a top dressing in a large circle around the bushes after planting.
On the other hand, there still are special districts in East Sussex, like Newick and Chailey, where dessert gooseberries are grown in large quantities. Curiously enough, they pack their fruits in green bracken and these special packs are recognized in the London markets.
It is best to buy gooseberry bushes on a short stem or leg so that they stand well above the ground. This discourages suckers coming up from the roots and makes the bushes easier to pick and to manage. Further: when a bush has a leg 6-8 inches long, or more, it is possible to straw mulch underneath.
There are no special root stocks for gooseberries. They do perfectly well on their own roots. Gooseberry bushes undoubtedly need adequate quantities of potash and the sandier soils need more than the heavier clays as a rule. Fortunately, wood ashes produce the desired results, and so when prunings are burnt and when there is ash available from our wood fires, we keep them largely for the gooseberries and redcurrants. They are usually applied at the rate of 6-8 oz. to the sq. yard, and it is a good thing to give a dressing before planting, another one two years later, a third one three years after that, and then similar doses every third year onwards.
I start by cutting back the branches that are drooping to the ground, for it is from the soil that the mildew spores blow. Then he cuts out any wood that may be filling up the centre of the bush and so keeping out the light and air. And lastly, branches are thinned here and there as necessary with the aim of making picking easy to carry out in the summer. It must be remembered, of course, that by that time further young growths have developed. So although the branches may look a little sparse in the late winter after pruning, the bush soon 'fills up' in the spring and early summer.
In light soil this could be forked into the ground or rotor tilled into the ground before planting, but with heavy land it is better to apply the compost as a top dressing in a large circle around the bushes after planting.
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The garden gooseberry fruit tree is valueable for bottling, cooking and dessert uses.
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