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What To Sow
Too late from seed

Can I sow gooseberries now?

Not from seed now. A sowing started today is unlikely to beat the autumn cold; use this page if you are already growing gooseberries, or choose something still in season.

Best next action
Choose another crop to sow now
Already growing it? See when yours will be ready →See what to sow in July→
Still worth sowing:carrotsbasilpeas
Hardy — can tolerate frost

When to plant
gooseberries in the UK

One of the easiest fruit bushes for UK allotments. Plant a bare-root bush in winter, prune to an open goblet shape, and it will produce kilos of fruit every summer for 20+ years. Pick them young for cooking, or leave to ripen fully for eating fresh.

Type
Hardy — can tolerate frost
To harvest
52 wks
Spacing
120 cm
Min soil
5°C
UK average answer

Can I sow gooseberries now?

Not from seed now. This is outside the usual UK sowing window for gooseberries.

Status
Too late from seed
Best next step
Wait
Usual window
Outside the usual UK sowing window

What I'd do now: This is not a good sowing moment on the UK average; use the calendar to choose a crop with an open window.

For the broader month view, see what to sow in July, or use the UK sowing calendar. For more detail, read the fruit growing guide.

Your dates

When will your gooseberries be ready to eat?

Put in the day you actually sowed — the harvest date moves with it. Tuned to your saved location where available.

Work out your own dates

Set the day you sowed (and planted out, if you did) — your harvest date is below.

Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it

Sow15 April
Ready to eat from14 April
Not sown yet? The standard dates for gooseberries
Using the UK-average guide. Enter your postcode below to tune these dates to your patch.

Plant out

From around 18 Feb

8 weeks before last frost on the UK average

Transplant seedlings to their final position

Harvest

~52 weeks from sowing

Space plants 120cm apart

Get gooseberries seeds

Seeds at Thompson & MorganSeeds at Sarah RavenSeeds at Suttons

Some links are affiliate links — if you buy through them, a little goes towards the allotment shed, at no extra cost to you.

How to grow

What gooseberries need

Sun or partial shade. Moist but well-drained soil. Annual mulch with compost. Prune in winter to keep an open centre.

Spacing

120cm

120cm between plants

These plants need serious room. Plan for at least a square metre each.

the varieties

Varieties worth growing

Invicta

common

The heavy-cropping green gooseberry that shrugs off mildew. Tart when young (perfect for cooking), sweet enough to eat raw when fully ripe. The reliable one that fills your freezer and your crumble dishes.

in the kitchen

Gooseberry fool

Stew the berries with sugar until they burst and go golden-green. Cool, then fold into softly whipped cream. Serve in glasses. Sharp, sweet, creamy — the most English pudding there is.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Invicta— full guide →

Hinnonmaki Red

uncommon

A Finnish variety with dark red berries that are sweet enough to eat straight off the bush. More disease-resistant than most, and the red colour means you know exactly when they're ripe. A dessert gooseberry in a world of cooking gooseberries.

in the kitchen

Gooseberry and elderflower jam

Simmer red gooseberries with sugar and a generous splash of elderflower cordial to setting point. The floral sweetness of the elderflower meets the tartness of the fruit. Summer in a jar.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Hinnonmaki Red— full guide →

Leveller

rare

The show-bench gooseberry. Large, golden-yellow berries with a sweetness and flavour that wins competitions. More demanding to grow well — it wants rich soil and careful pruning — but the berries are in a different class. The gooseberry growers' gooseberry.

in the kitchen

Fresh gooseberries with sugar

Top, tail, and eat the golden berries raw, dipped in caster sugar. When a gooseberry is this sweet and this flavourful, cooking it would be a crime. A bowl of these and a sunny afternoon is all you need.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Leveller— full guide →

Pax

common

Thornless red gooseberry that finally makes picking a pleasure instead of a blood sport. The berries are sweet enough for dessert and the bush doesn't fight back when you reach in. Modern breeding solving a problem that's annoyed gardeners for centuries.

in the kitchen

Gooseberry crumble

Top, tail, and toss the red berries with sugar and a splash of elderflower cordial. Top with a crumble of flour, butter, oats, and demerara sugar. Bake until golden and bubbling. The classic treatment for a classic berry.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Pax— full guide →

Good companions

Full companion planting guide & chart →

When to sow gooseberries

Plant outFebruaryMarch

Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.

Start this crop
Seeds

Where to buy gooseberries seeds

Seeds at Thompson & MorganSeeds at Sarah RavenSeeds at Suttons

Some links are affiliate links — if you buy through them, a little goes towards the allotment shed, at no extra cost to you.

Get your exact dates

Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for gooseberries.

Keep exploring

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