Gooseberries

[Timmy_45]

I read in FW a while back about a farmer up in Scotland who was growing gooseberries, I think our farm might also be suitable, we're quite high up, north facing so we get a lot of frost and when it snows it stays, apparently a good frost is what these plants like, problem is I can't find out much information about commercially growing them, just wondering whether anyone on hear knows any growers/ info sources?

 

[borderterribles]

I used to run a PYO place in the Midlands, and grew maybe five acres of Gooseberries. They grew well and cropped pretty heavily. Saying that, way more ended up on the floor than we ever sold, so we grubbed them up and put in something that people actually wanted to buy instead!

 

[Timmy_45]

Thanks for replying, where did you source your bushes from? And how many years did they take to start yielding. I assume some pesiticides are required, what about fertiliser? Can they be machine harvested or is it a case of summer work for students?

 

[Princess Pooper]

Demand might pick up a bit now that gooseberry gin is on trend, it's certainly helped the rhubarb growers!

 

[Timmy_45]

That chef did them a big favour, there's a niche market especially locally ish if I count Bristol as local.

 

[borderterribles]

Thanks for replying, where did you source your bushes from? And how many years did they take to start yielding. I assume some pesiticides are required, what about fertiliser? Can they be machine harvested or is it a case of summer work for students?

Sorry , can't recall suppliers, some where in East Anglia. The bushes produced from year 2. We inter-row sprayed ( from memory, maybe 8ft) and kept that as bare earth. Hoed between bushes and pruned them in the Autumn. Used to hand top dress them with Potato fertiliser in the early Spring.
They can be machine harvested, but our 5-ish acres didn't justify the expense of even getting a suitably equipped contractor in to do it, never mind buying a machine. The bushes are beyond prickly, and the price was never good enough to put the students on Gooseberries instead of Strawberries.
Having said all this , I really like Goosegogs and was disappointed to do away with them, but we couldn't make them pay.

 

[Fruitbat]

It's getting harder to find decent plants in quantity at sensible prices but RW Walpole is good start; www.rwwalpole.co.uk/
Gooseberries don't like wet feet, so make sure your drainage is good, or plant on raised beds. Some varieties are not particularly sturdy plants and benefit from a simple post and wire fence to tie them to, this will stop them getting hammered by the wind and might open up the option of using spineless varieties. Main problems are gooseberry sawfly, mildew and phyophthora.
If you're an AHDB levy payer get hold of "Gooseberries A grower guide to production, variety choice and pest and disease problems"
Harvesting is an issue whatever the crop, for fresh market it's slower but more return, not sure what the demand is.
FB

 

[Timmy_45]

Thanks! It's the sweet varieties I'm interested in. I'll give them a call. I'm thinking about doing a similar size plot to borderterribles i.e. about 5 acres. Hoping to tap into the 'foody' market in Bristol and Bath. Any idea as a rough estimate the likely yield per acre in a typical year?

 

[Fruitbat]

Pass, mine go small scale via PYO.
FB

 

[Timmy_45]

How do you find the PYO works out? I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the public.

 

[Henarar]

its no good I can't resist I have to do it

What's green and hairy and goes up and down ?

 

[Timmy_45]

Go on?

 

[Henarar]

Go on?

A Gooseberry in a lift

sorry
I will go now

 

[Timmy_45]

 

[Kidds]

Grown gooseberries all my life, last year was the last of them. Also produced bushes (30k + at the peak)
Your first problem is mildew, apart from Invicta I don't know a variety that will get past that one. Careless might.
Sawfly is only a problem if you miss them, they will strip all the leaves in a short space of time.
Weed control isn't easy, needs a good residual but carefully directed contact or even glyphosate can help out. Strimmers too but they will give a fatal rash in the wrong hands.
Picking will be a nightmare on 5 acres if you've no experience, agency workers are probably your best bet.
Storage of fruit is going to need some sort of chilling facility. You will need a packing shed that meets standards and people to operate it.
Most fruit is sold in lidded punnets these days, needs weighing at least, labelling too if you are not selling to a packer.
Pruning will take months in the winter, full time job for 1-2 people on 5 acres. Don't forget the daylight is limited then and you say you get snow which means pruning can't be done (because you can't see the bushes)

Whoever said you need a cold, frosty field was fibbing.

 

[Fruitbat]

How do you find the PYO works out? I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the public.

Me neither, but the public will buy ropey stuff they pick themselves that in a punnet they would be writing to the Daily Mail about! Gooseberries are usually all picked out on the first weekend, definitely the second before they start pestering for the cherries, tomatoes and plums. No concept of seasons, I've been asked for chilli's this morning.
I've not seen any mechanically harvested, but rigs are about.
Gooseberries are big in eastern Europe, there is one of these rigs in Kent and should be one in West Mids sometime this year for another crop.
http://dom-wid.pl/index.php/produkty/kombajny/kombajn-polowkowy-marek/#
FB

 

[Cowcalf]

gooseberry pie takes some beating, usually buy 35 tins each year for putting in pies

 

[7610 super q]

How do you find the PYO works out? I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the public.

Fooooking terrible. We did it in the 80's. Folks didn't want to walk more than 50 yards to the field, even in those days. Thieving was rife. What wasn't eaten in the field, was trampled, or thrown at each other. Picked clean near the gateway, untouched 20 yards into the field. We tried some exotic mange tout once. The thick twits tried to pick immature peas and broad beans instead. Always wanted strawberries " cheap " for jam. Told um will Tesco's sell cheap sugar for jam ? ........ Women would set off out to the muddy field in white stilettos.....
Took quite a bit of cash over a (dry) weekend, but shite summers, meant shite income.

Still, mustn't grumble.....

 

[P500Falcon]

try Hargreaves, huge supplier of soft and bush fruit plants/bare roots.
Although imo best crop you can grow... strawberries every time, done us very well over the years producive, profitable and always in demand people always want to buy (and happy to pay for) in season local strawberries. Only draw back with the wet summers we seem to get over here, has to be cropped under plastic...

 

[Kidds]

I'd throw Mcintyres into the supplier mix too http://www.james-mcintyre.co.uk/
As said early in the thread, good plants are hard to find and had bad experiences with all suppliers mentioned but don't know any better.