Click below to listen to my Garden Bite radio show: Gooseberries and Currants
Amid the world of raspberries and strawberries come a couple of tarts worth a go!
Gooseberries and Currants are closely related, they’re also prevalent in Minnesota. They’re tolerant of most types of soil, some shade tolerance but do best in sun. Don’t plant under the shade of a tree as they’ll compete too much for moisture.
The gooseberries you mostly see are green but the University of Minnesota came up with this cultivar in 1957. ‘Welcome’…
A tried and true abundant producer. Red, sweet-tart berries ripen on long curving branches in late spring or early summer. Eat fresh or use in pies and jams. Fruit freezes well. More shade tolerant than other varieties. Hardy to -40°F. Grows to 3 feet tall and about 5 feet wide.
In 1933 the University of Minnesota created ‘Red Lake’ currant – it’s still the top seller.