Ribes uva crispa ‘Hinnonmäki Green’

• Type: Gooseberry
• Latin name: Ribes uva-crispa
• Cultivar: Hinnonmäki Green
• Mature height: 100–150 cm
• Width: 100–150 cm
• Height when sold: ≈ 1 m
• Light: sunny or semi-shaded
• Winter hardiness: USDA 3–7

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny to partly shaded, airy spot with fertile, well-drained soil; places with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a 40×40 cm hole, mix the soil with compost and plant the bush 5–6 cm deeper than it grew in the pot. Gooseberry is self-fertile. Space bushes 1–1.5 m apart.

Watering Water regularly, especially during flowering and berry growth – 10–15 L per bush once a week, avoiding wetting the leaves (mildew). Mulch the soil.

Pruning Prune in spring before bud break or in autumn after leaf fall: remove branches older than 5–6 years, dead ones and those lying on the ground, and thin a dense bush, keeping 10–12 strong shoots of different ages.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and in June with a complex berry fertiliser; in autumn give potassium and phosphorus. Gooseberry is hardy in Estonia; mulch the soil in autumn and clear fallen leaves to reduce mildew and leaf spot.