[safetrade]

hi,at the bottom of my garden I have a outlet for drainage pipe which is used to drain water from the top allotment sites next to the pipe I have a small patch of ground that is usually damp it also has a 6ftwooden fence in front ov it is shaded most of the time and I was wondering if a couple of gooseberry bushes would do ok there,I was going to put a comfrey patch there but I've found sumwere else for the comfrey.thanks

[Trillium]

You could put the gooseberries there, but I would plant them each in a raised mound rather than flat. This way the roots won't rot if it gets too wet in that area, yet they'll get water at the bottom tips.  A mound 6-8" high would be fine.

[safetrade]

thanks I would never of thought ov doing something as simple as making a small mound but it makes a lot of sense

[Kleftiwallah]

Could the 6 foot fence be moved to give more sunlight ?    Cheers,    Tony.

[safetrade]

no it's the boundary between an estate unfortunately but it does still get about 4 hours a day of sunlight

[New shoot]

How about a gooseberry on a standard stem?  Would that allow a bit more sun to get to it?  Would also allow you to have something else planted under it.  I think Trillium's suggestion of planting on a mound is a good one as well.

Leafy greens usually do OK in part shade and wouldn't mind the soil being a bit damp, but you might have to take some slug prevention measures 

[ranat22]

sorry for hijacking this thread,but my gooseberry bushes always get ravished by catterpillars,apart from netting,is there any other useful tips...cheers

[DD.]

Sounds like sawfly, this is what the RHS says:

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=517

[ranat22]

Sounds like sawfly, this is what the RHS says:

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=517

thats the little fellows.thanx for reply

[Babstreefern]

How about putting in a rhubarb patch .  You can leave it to its own devices, apart from tidying up the patch at the end of the growing season.  

Also, for my goosegogs, at about this time of year, I get my trowel and quickly and lightly dig around my bushes, basically loosening the soil around the stem, and also the earth slightly.  I then spray around the stem and on the loosened earth, bug killer.  I also do this around June time.  This kills off the saw fly before they can do any damage .  In May/June I also spray the bushes themselves with anti-mildew to stop the dreaded American mildew

[Trillium]

Surprisingly, gooseberries don't need a great deal of sun. Friends of mine grew theirs in a forest patch and still got good crops. Mine are hidden behind towering raspberry and red currant plants and I still get a lot, so don't worry that 4 hours of light doesn't seem like much. As long as it's not pitch black, they'll be fine.

[safetrade]

great I'm gonna give it a go.thanks

[digalotty]

gooseberry are easy if you just take a cutting and put it in a sunny spot it will root and then transplant to your area , i put some in last week and they are flying along
 

[Plot74]

When is the best time to take cutting from gooseberry bushes.
I tried in October and failed to get one to take.
Thanks in advance
John

[dmg]

I took my cuttings in October (100+) and just pierced the through a growbag and left them in a sheltered spot and i got a 90% success rate