I keep reading about everyones amazing experiences with gooseberry. In terms of red gooseberry it sounds like many people do well with poorman so I think im headed in that direction. But I was also hoping to get a yellow/green/white variety and the two im stuck between is hinnomaki yellow and invicta. From what I’ve ready hinnomaki yellow is really tasty, produces lots of berries and is mildew resistant but the branches arent the strongest and they don’t grow super well in general. Invicta seems to be an overall stronger producer. Does anyone have experience with both and can recommend one over the other?
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Anybody?
I’m not sure how many may have grown both, so you may not get much specific feedback. I grow Hinnomaki Yellow and like the taste quite a bit. But it is not a super vigorous plant and, at least for me, it is weepier, approaching prostrate in growth. I don’t have it in an ideal location, so that may be part of the issue with the growth. The benefit of that growth is that it actually winds up rooting along the branches when it hits the ground, so I’ve been able to give away or trade several plants over the years. It is quite productive for its size. I took one of the tip rooted plants and put it in a sunnier location, so maybe I’ll see a different growth habit there.
My other two gooseberries are Hinnomaki Red and Poorman. Poorman is much more vigorous than Hinnomaki Red, but that may because Hinnomaki Red is at least twice as productive relative to size so its energy has gone into fruit and it also started fruiting at a smaller size. I’d be curious to hear from others who may have had better production from Poorman. They were both previously in shade form noon on, but the tree shading them fell, so now they are in full sun and the difference in production has been pretty consistent in both instances.
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I grew Invicta at 7400 ft zone 4. It was a large, beautiful plant, very vigorous and productive. The leaves would get a purple tinge in fall that was very pretty. I did not have Hinnomaki Yellow but I did have Hinnomaki Red. I am not sure what my opinion is worth regarding flavor given I am comparing a greenish/pink gooseberry to a red one but the Hinnomaki Red was rich and tangy and made incredible jam. The Invicta’s flavor was tart and pleasant but not as rich and complex. The Hinnomaki red was not nearly as vigorous as the Invicta.
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I’ve grown Invicta, Black Velvet, Hinnomaki Red and Yellow, and Jeanne for a decade. The first two are much more vigorous and productive than the other three, and also better tasting, though I should put more effort into training all of them to cordons and hitting them with compost/fertilizer regularly.
Invicta is easily the most productive, with far and away the largest fruit. It is also the best tasting for me: sweet enough to eat out of hand. I like it enough that I’m going to layer a couple of new plants this year.
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I have a couple extra Invicta plants if anybody wants to pay for them. I can sell them easily, I would need 20 bucks to cover postage and my time. Or trade. Photos upon request in a 1.5 quart pot. Some leaf damage from frosts, but these plants are super vigorous it’s not stopping it at all. PM me for details. They go on sale next week on Bid N Grow. otherwise.
Do you like invictas taste more than your other gooseberry varieties? Does it produce more gooseberries than other varieties?
I need more time before I express an opinion on taste.
I’m interested in that. Could you put a pic on here of them? You sending with the soil or without? How many do you have? Thanks.
@Drew51
I had two and sorry, both are gone.
I don’t grow Invicta. I grow Pixwell, Hinnomaki Yellow and Black Velvet. Hinnomaki Yellow is VERY delicious to me! Nice sweet/tart balance, aromatic and great texture (crunchy, juicy, never mushy). It is a SMALL bush. As others mentionned, it has a weeping habit. You could grow this one in your garden, under fruit trees, etc. Here is a picture of the fruit load, this morning. They should be ready in about a month.
And here is a picture to compare Hinnomaki Yellow and Black Velvet. Both were planted at the same time. Black Velvet is pruned severly every year. I sometimes lightly prune Hinno.
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