Gooseberry recommendations please

JennyJ

Can anyone recommend gooseberry varieties that will suit a cool wet location - North Wales, Snowdonia, inland not coastal, can be quite exposed depending on wind direction, soil is good (neither sand nor clay). It gets pretty wet in winter but I think they would be going in a low-ish raised bed. 

They're to be a gift for someone, so recommendations from anyone in that part of the world or with similar conditions would be much appreciated.

Uff

Jenny J I was going to ask a similar question so may I join your thread please as my conditions are similar to the ones you mention?

pansyface

I’ve got four different varieties, all much of a muchness as taste etc go. But as a gift, I’d give Pax. No thorns. You don’t want the recipient to be forever cursing you as they gather the fruit.😊

barry island

Sorry can't really comment about suitability for your particular conditions but I have a Hinnonmaki yellow growing in clay sometimes wet/dry, given a sunny June to ripen the fruit the taste is spectacular almost Pineapple makes beautiful jam.

JennyJ

Uff said:

Jenny J I was going to ask a similar question so may I join your thread please as my conditions are similar to the ones you mention?

Of course!

Nanny Beach

I grow the Hinnonmaki red,very sweet,my hubby, life long hater of gooseberries,and grandson will eat them off the bush. Afraid I don't know if you would be able to grow them outside,or whether they might need a polytunnel or similar

JennyJ

pansyface said:

I’ve got four different varieties, all much of a muchness as taste etc go. But as a gift, I’d give Pax. No thorns. You don’t want the recipient to be forever cursing you as they gather the fruit.😊

Good suggestion, thanks. They're not against thorns though, because there is "wildlife" that likes to dig around in the beds and thorns at least keeps critters away from the newly planted roots.

JennyJ

barry island said:

Sorry can't really comment about suitability for your particular conditions but I have a Hinnonmaki yellow growing in clay sometimes wet/dry, given a sunny June to ripen the fruit the taste is spectacular almost Pineapple makes beautiful jam.

Thanks, I'm looking at the Hinnonmaki varieties - apparently bred in Finland for hardiness and disease resistance. I think they'll be eaten before getting to jam though .

Dovefromabove

Another recommendation for Hinnonmaki yellow .... it did really well here in a relatively shady spot and was perfectly happy coping with the worst that the Beast from the East could throw at it including being totally covered with snow for weeks.  My MIL also has one which is the most productive gooseberry I've ever come across ... it is happy with benign neglect, a total lack of pruning, and grass growing all around it.  MIL gives buckets full of delicious fruit away every year as well as filling her freezer.  

Pete.8

I recall Adam Frost planting a couple of standard gooseberries (one red one green) in his garden a few years ago - he planted them in a herbaceous border and they were underplanted - they looked good.
I'm still wondering where I can squeeze one (or 2) in.

pansyface

I planted the Hinnonmaki yellow and also the red. They do OK in our rather wet Derbyshire weather.

The best gooseberry bush that I have was donated to me in a bird dropping. It produces a beautiful dark purple, hairless fruit. Early days yet but it seems to be a willing worker. 😁