http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today/index.shtml

Did a search on jobs, February, kitchen garden and it said

Gooseberries
Shorten sideshoots on trained gooseberries back to two or three buds.


My gooseberries were planted 3 years ago so this Summer would be the third
harvest. Do I need to shorten them and if not now, in how many years will I
have to start doing it?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:10:55 +0100, "Caroline"
wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today/index.shtml

Did a search on jobs, February, kitchen garden and it said

Gooseberries
Shorten sideshoots on trained gooseberries back to two or three buds.


My gooseberries were planted 3 years ago so this Summer would be the third
harvest. Do I need to shorten them and if not now, in how many years will I
have to start doing it?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline

They mean plants deliberately pruned to a restricted form - not yours
that have been left alone (I guess?) If this is so then pruning is
optional. All you might need to do is clear any crowded badly placed
shoots from the centres of the bushes to make it easier to pick the
fruit and to let in some light and air. Gooseberries and Red/White
currants are often trained as cordons - that is to make the plants
into single or multiple single stems - like a U or a trident with
short fruiting side-shoots ('spurs' in the jargon). If done like that
you save space (cram more varieties in), get better quality fruit and
picking is a breeze. The bad news is most of the pruning is summer
pruning when you're already very busy.


Rod

Weed my email address to reply
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:10:55 +0100, "Caroline"
wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today/index.shtml

Did a search on jobs, February, kitchen garden and it said

Gooseberries
Shorten sideshoots on trained gooseberries back to two or three buds.


My gooseberries were planted 3 years ago so this Summer would be the third
harvest. Do I need to shorten them and if not now, in how many years will I
have to start doing it?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline

They mean plants deliberately pruned to a restricted form - not yours
that have been left alone (I guess?) If this is so then pruning is
optional. All you might need to do is clear any crowded badly placed
shoots from the centres of the bushes to make it easier to pick the
fruit and to let in some light and air. Gooseberries and Red/White
currants are often trained as cordons - that is to make the plants
into single or multiple single stems - like a U or a trident with
short fruiting side-shoots ('spurs' in the jargon). If done like that
you save space (cram more varieties in), get better quality fruit and
picking is a breeze. The bad news is most of the pruning is summer
pruning when you're already very busy.


Rod

Weed my email address to reply
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 13:10:55 +0100, "Caroline"
wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today/index.shtml

Did a search on jobs, February, kitchen garden and it said

Gooseberries
Shorten sideshoots on trained gooseberries back to two or three buds.


My gooseberries were planted 3 years ago so this Summer would be the third
harvest. Do I need to shorten them and if not now, in how many years will I
have to start doing it?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Caroline

They mean plants deliberately pruned to a restricted form - not yours
that have been left alone (I guess?) If this is so then pruning is
optional. All you might need to do is clear any crowded badly placed
shoots from the centres of the bushes to make it easier to pick the
fruit and to let in some light and air. Gooseberries and Red/White
currants are often trained as cordons - that is to make the plants
into single or multiple single stems - like a U or a trident with
short fruiting side-shoots ('spurs' in the jargon). If done like that
you save space (cram more varieties in), get better quality fruit and
picking is a breeze. The bad news is most of the pruning is summer
pruning when you're already very busy.


Rod

Weed my email address to reply
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html