Create some sweet treats in your kitchen using berries grown in your garden from productive Gooseberry ‘Invicta’ bushes. Shaun Ryan, YouGarden TV presenter, explains why this is his go-to:
“Do you know what? I love a gooseberry crumble or a gooseberry pie. Fabulous. And this is called Gooseberry Invicta, and it’s a very, very special gooseberry indeed. First of all, it has got the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit. And for any plant to win that award, it will have been some rigorous testing. It means it’s a true performer in the UK.
“So when it comes to producing gooseberries, ‘Invicta’ is a really, really heavy cropper. Expect pounds and pounds of delicious gooseberries that you can eat fresh, or of course, that can be used in cooking for the most delicious gooseberry crumbles and pies.
“And it’s such an easy one to grow. So nice, sunny spot, fertile, well drained soil, does like a lot of sun ideally, and it does stay compact. So despite it being a really, really heavy cropper, it only grows about a 1.5m by 1.5m. So really, really neat and easy to grow.
“Now, a lot of people always say to me, when do you prune a gooseberry? I always prune mine sort of late winter, early spring, sort of February time, just before it breaks its dormancy. And what you want to create, and this is pretty much the same with all soft fruit. You want to create a goblet shape, so you want lots of nice air circulation. So any branches that are crossing over, just take those out and just create that lovely open goblet shape.
“And that will help keep it disease resistant, of course, as well. But a beautiful plant, award winning. Don’t forget, oh, also great for wildlife and those pollinators. Normally flowers, April to May time. And then you’re gonna get all of that massive crop in mid to late summer.
“I’ll tell you what, you’ll be amazed at just how many gooseberries you can pick.”
