Grow Your Own Magazine

Morning
We have 3 or 4 three year old gooseberry bushes on our allotment in Doncaster and want to know if it ok to transplant them at this time of year.

Welcome to the Vine Marthsnan,

You could try, but they are just about coming into Bud (well mine are).

If you must move them I would dig as big a rootball as possible & then put a temporary cane in just to stop them Rocking in the wind until they get re anchored.

Failing that leave them till the back end.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

You should ideally move and prune gooseberries between Nov-Feb, if you do move them now or at anytime, don't expect a good crop from them as they tend not to fruit as they are busy putting down roots and overcoming the shock.

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Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

Did I completely make it up or did I read somewhere that gooseberry bushes can burn skin?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Never heard that, I know that parsnips can but never had any probs with gooseberries bar a few scratches.

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Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

Only if they are on fire shortie

__________________
ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Okay... another one I must have dreampt up

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

I've decided to let sleeping gooseberries lie until next year!!

On a slight aside. I am looking to replace two tired and I suspect very old bushes with something newer and more vibrant. I can't really take cuttings as they have had mildew. What would people recommend? I am probably going to use them for crumbles, pies, jam etc. rather than eating fresh but am always game for something new.

Also where would be the best source. I have had a look through my copy of Hessayon but it is quite old and I have little experience of fruit growing.

And ....... can I grow them alongside currants? I seem to think they are the same or a similar family.

No more questions on this for now

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

So what about these flaming parsnips? Please enlighten!

Hi Snadger.

If you let your parsnips go to seed the sap (which contains furocoumarins)can cause severe blistering if it comes into contact with your skin. It reacte with light the same as Giant Hogweed which is also in the same family Umbelliferae.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Well there you go...I know a council worker who was asked to strim down Giant Hogweed and finished up with third degree burns....in case you're wondering it wasn't me!!! We used to make pea-shooters out of hogweed. as well..yikes!!

As we are on the subject of gooseberries, can anyone tell me the name of the red gooseberry, i do believe its a desert variety.

There's a couple Bramble, Pax & Rokula and I think there's one with a japanese sounding name (Hinoki red or something like that).

Pax & Rokula are avalable from Chris Bowers

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

They are lovely. You can eat them just like grapes.

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[

That sounds lovely. I could be tempted. Wonder if I could tempt our resident small person to fresh gooseberries?

Now there's a challenge

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Just got the new catalogues from Thompson & Morgan & they sell the red dessert gooseberry 'Pax' which they claim is virtually spine free & has some mildew resistance & delicious sweet flavour-£9.99 for 1 bush,£19.99 for 3. Now if only they would breed a gooseberry sawfly resistant one!

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Bought three bare rooted red gooseberries from Wilkinsons sale late spring. They cost 20p each reduced from £5.99! Two died but I've managed to mollycuddle one and keep it going. Not bad for 60p outlay. Looking forward to some red goosegogs next year

That's a bargain Snadger! Woolworths sometimes have good offers on fruit trees & bushes as well at the end of their seasons, I've picked up a few bargains there in the past but not as good as yours. Wilkinsons are good though as even at full price they're pretty cheap.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.