Allotments 4 All

Can some nice person help a newbie allotment holder with his Gooseberry Bushes?

I have just acquired my first allotment and need to know whether to cut the old wood back or do i leave it for new growth?

Thanks

Hi Bethel and welcome to a great site,
there are a number of ways to prune a gooseberry bush, make sure the bush is open in the centre to prevent overcrowding and assist in ripening fruit, cut out older branches and then prune all new sideshoots to a bud  pointing upwards or outwards about 3" from their base. remove any old, unproductive branches as you go through the season. Enjoy your new Allotment

Many thanks for your reply

i have no new growth showing does this mean they could be dead

They could be dead but there's not a lot happening with my gooseberries either at the moment.  Yours too are probably waiting for a bit of spring weather before they start moving. 

Prune now whilst they're still dormant.  I just thin out the middle to make picking easier, get rid of any branches that cross over another, and take a couple of inches off all over.

Many Thanks again

My establishing goosegog bushes are all green and looking sexy.....well as sexy as a prickly fruit bush can look on the allotment, but my new standard red fruiting goosegog is still looking rather dormant.  (Not saying the d$#d word in case it hears me and is offended!)

No I am sure they do look sexy, More Sexy when your picking them to make a lovely Gooseberry Fool

One of the 3 goosegogs has just started to come out in leaf (as has a blackcurrant (well i think it is a black one))

I can only boast buds. Did a lot of pruning on G'gogs and currents last year. Planted quite a few cuttings which also are in bud....can't beat free fruit, eh,eh.

ooooooooo and be warned....you know what you find under gooseberry bushes!  :o

one of the guys on our allotments has just given me some blackberry bushes (7), some gooseberry(5), and some raspberry and at the moment I have no space. I have just got a second bit of allotment..the person next to me decided they only wanted half a plot...so I am busy digging out all the couch grass....what I need to know is can I just heel all these bushes in, continue digging ,and in a month or so, when I have finished digging it over, can I then organise them in rows under a fruit cage....I only have a very small plot myself and haven't got any fruit bushes, so I am anxious to do everything right ,but I can't do it all at once...what shall I do

I they're bare rooted you should realy get them in before the end of March, if not sooner

If you really can't get 'em in as MT suggests, at least put them in pots or soiled filled sacking. If the roots dry out you've lost 'em.

I put my goosegog bush in last year - the buds are appearing but it's a bit slow up here in Scotland 'cause our weather is naff.  Anyone know when i should expect fruit if they only went in last year?  How much room do they need also?

Cheers ;D