Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispa
Also called Goosegogs
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitPrune it open in the middle like a goblet. Air moving through the bush is what keeps mildew off.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 5 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a very cold winter RHS H6, to -20°C
- Size
- 1.25 m tall · 1.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- Europe and North Africa
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
HandlingTake care handling it
The stems are spined.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Pinprick holes in the leaves low down in the middle of the bush in late spring, with pale green black-spotted caterpillars lined up along the veins beneath — a bush is stripped bare in days.Gooseberry sawfly · pest
- A powdery white bloom on the tips of the new shoots and the youngest leaves, weeks before it turns to a brown felt on the fruit.American gooseberry mildew · disease
- Fat buds pecked out along the bare stems in late winter — bullfinches take them before a leaf has opened, and that wood carries no fruit.Birds · pest