North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> I experimented with many gooseberries for a time but was inadequately 
> impressed with any of the fruit to devote space to them.


My gooseberries are only two years old, so I can't say much. But they're 
growing very well in a row along the east side of my house - and this 
space is only six feet wide, with the house on one side and a 6' tall, 
solid privacy fence on the other. Obviously, they don't get much light, 
just a few hours at midday (though the vinyl siding is light gray and 
the vinyl privacy fence is white, so maybe reflected sunlight helps?).

The Hinnonmaki Yellow is smaller than the others, but it was just loaded 
with large berries last year (after only one year in the ground). The 
Hinnonmaki Red also had tons of berries. The rest (Poorman, Jewel, and 
Red George) did not, but I suspect they'll do much better this year, now 
that they're two years old. I picked half the berries green, for pie, 
and let the rest get ripe. I can't say I was wild about the taste of the 
ripe fruit, but I don't know what else would produce so abundantly in 
such a location. They tasted good enough, certainly, but might not be my 
first choice for a sunny site. Still, they seem perfect for that location.

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they 
sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in 
priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent 
shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. - 
Sen. Barack Obama