While it may be a premature assessment, Comanche (Original Red Jacket) produced for me this year and it was pretty impressive. The fruit was similar to Jeanne but I believe the fruit was larger and the individual canes were perhaps the most productive of any variety I have. It set a fair amount of fruit this year, 1 year removed from a cutting put in the soil. The downside is that it has some gnarly thorns. It makes Black Velvet look tame. I never see anyone sell or talk about this variety, so I thought it was worth the mention.
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Thanks for the report. Sometimes old varieties with much to recommend them end up falling through the cracks for some reason or the other. Iāve wondered about āDowningā gooseberry, a once-popular American type of greenish coloration which, in trials near Lexington, Ky. and in Northern Maryland in the early twentieth century, produced better than the then-new āGlenndale.ā Utah State reports that Downing is mildew resistant and of āgood flavor,ā while Purdue says it is āvigorous and highly productive . . . medium sized, with thin skin and excellent quality.ā But you never hear it mentioned by growers on forumsāand nobody seems to sell it.
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Agreed- I have never even heard of Downing.
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The High School Volunteers at our community garden did a wonderful job of digging up and removing all of the Blueberry and Thornless blackberries I have been taking care of the last 3 years.
Which Gooseberries do you think would go best for people unfamiliar with the fruit? And is anyone able to share cuttings?
It sounds like you need a real thorny one, and very prominent labels and wire cages!
Ive got Hinno Red if you need cuttingsā¦
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Interesting. I wasnāt going to get that one, and now Iām reconsidering. It sounds great.
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Is that picture real? Invicta looks 2x the size! Pixwell normally turns purple like a grape so itās definitely not ripe there. Not sure about the invicta.
Have you compared those to poorman?
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The Pixwell shown in the photo isnāt quite ripe. It should be reddish/mahogany to nearly black if fully ripe. (If not netted, the birds may never let you see one that color though!!!)
If size matters, then the photo is convincing.
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Yes the photo is real. No, the pixwell was not fully ripe in the photo but I usually donāt eat them when they are blushed. Iām used to the birds eating/pecking them when they turn so Iāve grown accustomed to eating them slightly underripe. Theyāre also easier to bake for me when theyāre firmer and I can remove the blossom bottoms for pies. But the pixwell on my bushes also donāt get any bigger than the photo for me. Maybe a hair bigger but thatās it
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Yes! I only get a small amount of pixwell berries to full maturity. Iām fast but the birds are faster 
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In a good year, having 4 or 5 bushes, I get them to the pink stage before the birds devour them. This past year I put netting over them.
Caught a couple birds tangled in the netting that had expired by time I got to picking berriesā¦but I finally got some darker ones from Pixwell.
I need to get my other varieties into the ground, theyād do better than in pots. Had Poorman and liked itā¦bought in 1991 and it lived maybe 15 years before giving in to shade and drought in the forest location.
I have a Black Velvet, but it hasnāt performed well in a pot.
Perhaps I need to try Invicta.
I have a couple pints frozen āPixwellā remaining in the freezer.
Iāve noticed a trend in this thread of multiple sources saying their bush did well for 5-10?15? years and died. As easy as it is to propagate both gooseberry and currants, wouldnāt it make sense if you have the room to lop off a branch every few years and clone it to hedge against loss of the genetics?
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Yes, itās a good idea. they just die once in awhile. Same with red/white currants.
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i grow out dozens of currants from my spring prunings. i root them in dixie cups and give them away. i have so many currants now that if one dies on me i have many more to take cuttings from. almost all my bushes were from cuttings just stuck in the ground where i wanted them and they grew. one of the easiest plants i have to propagate. aphids can get bad on them some years but nothing else bothers them here.
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My mouth is watering as I read all these posts! Weāve recently moved into a small 1/4 acre property in town and Iām working on getting an edibles area established. I have a few currants and honeyberries and looking to add jostaberry and gooseberries this year.
Hereās the big question: where are you all sourcing these lovely cultivars? Iāve called around to many area nurseries in southern Wisconsin and found mainly Hinnonmaki Red and Pixwell available (may be able to get my hands on Invicta and Tixia, too). It seems for ordering online, Raintree Nursery has a good selection, but Iād love to see the plants Iām buying. Any suggestions?
Whitman farms is definitely one to consider when buying plants. Iāve also got a variety of nice plants from Indiana Berry ranging from average to really large. Currently I grow Invicta, Poormanās, Jahnās Prairie, Black Velvet, Hinnomaki Red and Jeanne. I forgot to mention the variety Jewel that I received from Drew. It hasnāt fruited for me yet but maybe this year.
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Yeah Whitman is good. So is Indiana Berry. Although all those cultivars mentioned I got from users here. Cuttings readily root. Buy a couple and trade for any others you want. Contact me next year and for postage Iāll send you anything you want. I have all of those mentioned by Trevor except Jeanie.
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Pixwell may not be āmuch punkinā as gooseberries go, but it can take full sun, all day long, on the zone 6b/7a interface. Glenndale is another one thatās reputed to be very heat/sun tolerant.
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Jungseed is in Madison. Not sure what they carry in their brick and mortar stores but they sell many varieties on their website.
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