Give gooseberries space

GOOSEBERRIES will be swelling rapidly now and may become crowded on the stems. If you want to increase the size of your berries and improve their quality, thin out your crop.

The simplest way is to remove alternate berries on stems which are crowded. For dessert varieties — or for developing show- worthy berries — thin severely, leaving 6-8cm between each fruit.

Cooking varieties, such as Invicta, are best harvested when barely ripe — usually a little later in June.

So, a good method for thinning is to wait until the berries are large enough to gather for cooking. Then, take alternate fruits along each stem, leaving the remainder to swell further for later harvesting. Dessert varieties, such as the dark red Whinham’s Industry, pictured, or golden Leveller, can be cooked when young or grown on to maturity, for eating raw. A fully ripe, luscious dessert gooseberry is a gourmet experience.

Check your gooseberry bushes too. Two problems are American Gooseberry Mildew and attacks by Gooseberry Sawfly. You’ll see the latter as green-mottled caterpillars, often on the leaf f undersides. Pick those off f and dispose of them.

With mildew, the widely grown variety Invicta is naturally resistant and likely to stay clean. But older varieties are susceptible. Reduce the spread of mildew by making sure the bushes are never subjected to drought by watering the plants.