Gooseberries are one of the most popular garden crops. Its berries are appreciated not only for their pleasant taste, but also for their excellent vitamin composition. Many gardeners are interested in various varieties of gooseberries. And breeders try to satisfy demand by regularly offering new varieties.
What are the characteristics of gooseberries?
This culture has many varieties. They are classified by such signs as:
- palatability - gooseberries can be dessert, canteen or technical (the latter is practically not grown in summer cottages);
- fruit size - small, medium or large;
- the shape of the bushes is compact and spreading);
- fruit color - yellow, green or red;
- ripening periods - early, medium and late fruit.
Gooseberry Beryl
In practice, the last two classification criteria are most often used.
Green Gooseberry Varieties
This is the largest group, which includes varieties with green shades of berries:
- Gooseberry Berill. These are medium height bushes, their branches are curved to the ground. The plant brings sweet and sour green fruits. The berries are large, rounded in shape, weigh on average up to 9 g. This variety tolerates frosty winters well, but it can not be called resistant to disease.
- Gooseberries Green rain. This is a medium-late crop, undemanding to the composition of the soil and moisture, it is resistant to frost and drought. Its fruits are sweet, large, weighing about 8-9 g. The advantage of the variety is its high resistance to fungal diseases.
- Gooseberry Invicta. It is characterized by excellent winter hardiness. It brings oval large berries of a pleasant sweet taste with sourness. Shrub can be grown in all regions.
There are other varieties. With high productivity, for example, Snezhana or Pushkinsky. There are varieties with more modest quantitative indicators, but very sweet berries. For example, White Nights. Its fruits are small, weigh about 3 g each, but are very tasty. The shrub is resistant to powdery mildew and frost. Its yield is 6 kg per bush. The berries seem a little shaggy - they are covered with a fluff, which is almost not tasted, but outwardly clearly visible.
It is interesting! There are varieties that in color and taste resemble Chinese gooseberries, that is, kiwi. But basically this is the result of popular selection, and such varieties are not included in the State Register.
Yellow gooseberry varieties
This group includes varieties with yellow berries. For instance:
- Gooseberry Honey. It differs in rather tall bushes, the crown of the plant is not too sprawling. The berries have an unusual shape, slightly resembling a pear, and a pronounced aroma. The fruits of this culture are very sweet - hence the name. However, the variety also has disadvantages. It is resistant to cold, but requires laborious care and is susceptible to disease. Experienced agronomists advise growing it only in central areas.
- Gooseberry Jubilee. It features an unusual shape of branches curved to the ground. The yellow, not too large berries are oval. The plant belongs to the group of mid-ripening varieties. In general, the culture is resistant to frost, recommended for central areas.
- Gooseberry Amber. This is a plant with a spreading crown and fairly tall bushes. Its berries are distinguished by an oval shape and an amber-yellow hue. The advantage of the variety is that it tolerates winter frosts perfectly, which makes it suitable not only for the middle lane, but also for the northern regions.
Important! Gooseberry Amber was not registered in the State Register, there are no clear standards for it, but traditionally it is grown in almost all Russian regions.
Gooseberry Honey
Varieties of red-fruited gooseberries
Red varieties of gooseberries look unusual. But in this group many varieties with good characteristics are bred, for example:
- Gooseberry Candy. This is a shrub with very densely growing arched branches. It belongs to the late varieties. The variety is not very large, but very sweet red berries. An important advantage of the variety is its winter hardiness.
- Gooseberry Krasnoslavyanskiy. This is a medium-sized shrub with straight branches and not too spreading crown. Its fruits are small and oval, but most importantly - they are sweet and fragrant. The plant belongs to mid-season varieties.
- Gooseberry Mashek. The shrub has a thick, spreading crown, the branches of which lean slightly toward the ground. Culture bears the oval shape. The advantage of the variety is its good resistance to frost. But resistance to disease leaves much to be desired.
- Gooseberry Phenicia. It is believed that it is the result of folk selection. The fruits of the plant are not red, but dark purple in color - but of such a shade it has only a thick skin, but the flesh is usually green, sour-sweet, refreshing.
It is interesting! Berries of the date varieties can be consumed not only in fresh form. They make jam, various sweets. The wine from the fruits of this plant has a beautiful ruby hue, delicate taste and aroma. A feature of the date variety is that such shrubs require a larger feeding area than other varieties.
Gooseberry Date
There are also varieties of culture that would be more correct to call black, but theoretically they relate to red-fruited varieties. For example, this is a gooseberry variety Harlequin. Its oval-shaped sweet berries have a dark red hue, which, under certain lighting conditions, appears purple.
The highest yielding varieties of gooseberries
Today on the market there are many productive varieties - both domestic and foreign selection. For example, the gooseberry Rodnik has established itself well. Its yield is up to 9 kg per bush. About the same (and sometimes even more - up to 10 kg) of the already mentioned Beryl. Bushes of a variety like Phenicia bring up to 20 kg of crop.
A good option from this point of view would be gooseberries on a stem. While these varieties are not so popular among Russian gardeners, but they are still considered very promising. For example, the high-yield Hinnonmaki standard gooseberry is distinguished. This is a bush with a dense crown, which is often given a spherical shape.
It is interesting! The Finnish Hinnonmaki variety has several varieties with fruits of different shades - both traditional emerald and honey, red.
Gooseberry Hinnonmaki
Large gooseberry varieties
Many gardeners prefer plants with large berries. Of the above varieties, these include Beryl, Rodnik, Phenicia and some others. All these are shrubs with berries up to 10 mm in length.
Gooseberry varieties without thorns
The absence of thorns does not affect the taste of berries. But many people prefer these types of this culture. In the absence of thorns, the crop is much easier to harvest. By this indicator, non-studded varieties are ahead of their relatives.
In this group, the most popular varieties are the Consul (the second name is the Senator), as well as Eaglet and Grushenka. The Consul’s yield is relatively small - up to 6 kg per bush, Grushenka’s — about the same, but Orlenka’s slightly higher - up to 7 kg.
Bearless variety of shrubs
Classification of varieties by maturity
To enjoy sweet berries as long as possible, many experts advise planting 2-3 gooseberry bushes with different ripening periods on a site.
Early ripe
This group includes shrubs that produce crops in early or mid-June, depending on growing conditions.
Important! Early ripe varieties bloom mainly in April; frost is still characteristic of some regions at this time, which increases the risk of plant death. In this case, it is better to abandon these varieties.
Early ripening varieties include:
- Gooseberry varieties Spring. Among its advantages are high yield, resistance to cold and disease. But the berries must be removed immediately after ripening, otherwise they may lose their taste.
- Gooseberry Grand. This is a large-fruited variety. Its reddish berries can weigh up to 13-15 g. The variety is distinguished by small spikes.
- Gooseberry Favorite. The advantages of the variety - it is resistant to pests, has a good resistance to the sphere library. Its berries have a yellowish tint, they are not very large (weighing up to 4 g).
There are other popular early ripe varieties - for example, gooseberry Tender, Pax, etc.
Mid-season
These gooseberry varieties yield in mid-July. Gooseberry Russian Red is popular. It is a medium-sized shrub that has a yield above 6 kg. And you can grow it everywhere except the Urals.
Gooseberry Northern captain belongs to the same group. This is a variety with red small berries, weighing up to 4 g. They remain on the branches for a long time.
Late ripening
These varieties are not very popular, but they are also grown in the southern regions. For example, this is Korshudin - a variety with thin spikes and sour taste. Berries on it appear closer to August. Delicious pinkish fruit gives the seedling of Change.
Fruits of the late-ripe variety Shift
Classification of varieties suitable for different climatic conditions
You need to choose plants according to such a criterion as adaptation to the climate.
The best varieties for the southern latitudes
The advantage of such regions is that any varieties feel good there. It is only necessary to choose those that show greater resistance to drought. For example, this is the Northern captain, English yellow, Date.
Best grades for mid-latitude
One of the most successful options for such an area is the gooseberry variety Rodnik. Although it belongs to early ripening varieties, it also tolerates spring frosts when at night the temperature drops sharply below zero. Therefore, it is grown in the middle zone of Russia.
The best varieties for the northern latitudes
Winter-hardy gooseberry varieties are intended for cultivation in Siberia. Despite the fact that the summer in this region is short, and often the weather presents unpleasant surprises, quite sweet berries can be grown here. For example, Beryl is ideal for such conditions.
Additional Information. In Siberia, such varieties as Green Rain, Minx, Black Drop will feel good.
There you can grow one of the sweetest varieties - gooseberry Chernomor. This is a winter-hardy plant with small thorns and small (weighing up to 3 g), but very tasty fruits. Its important advantage is that the bush is not afraid of powdery mildew, from which these crops often suffer.
In the Urals, it is also recommended to grow winter-hardy varieties, preferring mid-season varieties. There are often spring frosts, so early gooseberry varieties are not suitable. In the Urals, agronomists advise planting varieties of Co-operator and Yubilyar.
Important! In severe weather, gooseberries need additional protection. Its root neck is recommended to be covered with soil, creating a kind of roller from it.
Berries varieties White Nights
How to choose the right gooseberry variety
To make gooseberries happy with a good harvest, you need to choose a variety not by name, but by its ability to adapt to specific conditions - climatic and soil. The plant should be suitable for growing in a specific region (for example, be resistant to drought or, conversely, to humidity, frost or heat). An important role is played by criteria such as pest resistance and disease resistance. When choosing a variety, you need to read not only the advertising description of seedlings that are published by nurseries, but also reference materials. In addition to the advantages, its disadvantages will be indicated there, as well as the features of agricultural technology.
If you select gooseberry varieties, taking into account all of the above factors - climate, soil, location of the site, they will please the owner with a good harvest for at least 10-12 years.
