Gooseberry Information

http://www.chathamapples.com/SmallFruitsNY/Gooseberries.htm

Found this page of gooseberry descriptions. There must be at least 100 varieties on there with descriptions of taste and problems. Many are from the 1800’s with a little history report. If your into gooseberries this will put you on with varieties you didn’t even know existed.

And Currants
http://www.chathamapples.com/SmallFruitsNY/BlackCurrants.htm
http://www.chathamapples.com/SmallFruitsNY/RedWhiteCurrants.htm

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I found very few varieties with which I have familiarity. Poorman being among the exceptions.

Chances are I would never be able to securely locate many of the ones I found interesting.

Still an interesting resource…

Scott

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Looks like they are mostly older varieties. I found it looking for info on Houghton. There is a nursery down the street with 4 year old bushes for $25, but all they have is Houghton, Pixwell, and Hannomaki Red. I am ready to buy them all.

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I have about 20 seedlings of Pixwell….so that game begins.

Hinnomki Red has a sour tasting slipskin, with sweet interior (and lots of small thorns).

Poorman I like (not love).

Can’t seem to get my Black Velvet to bear.

My Hinnomki seems like it wants to be a weeper. There isn’t an upright stem anywhere on it. Fruiting has been sparce.

My Black Velvet is as tall as me (5’6") and only seems to fruit on the top 18 inches. Maybe it needs to be tall?

Poorman is behind my garage and I always forget about it. It produces like a champ.

Scott

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That’s good to know. I have both BV and HR. Poorman seems pretty hard to find. Everyone that sold it was sold out. I agree, I would rather have a tall bush so I may pass on getting more HR’s. How good are those thorns at fending off thieves. Have you been robbed before?

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http://www.chathamapples.com/SmallFruitsNY/RedWhiteCurrants.htm
http://www.chathamapples.com/SmallFruitsNY/BlackCurrants.htm

Here are the links for Currant descriptions. Also, seems to be older varieties, but still good information on them.

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Larger birds may have a little difficulty with the growth habit of Hinomaki Red and with it’s small sharp plentiful thorns…but not all bird thieves are large ones!

Honeyberry USA has poorman.

Some of them may have been pollinated by other varieties. Who knows you may get a cross that is even better. At the very least you have about 20 freebies.

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I netted my gooseberries, held the nets to the ground with rocks, and something still stole nearly every gooseberry last year. Not sure if it was chipmunks or birds, but the thorns didn’t stop them.

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