Gooseberry - Captivator

Captivator is a virtually spine-free variety, which makes picking and pruning much less painful! The fruits are purple-red, sweet, and ripen in late July. Captivator has a somewhat straggly, spreading habit, and is not quite as productive as the spiny varieties.

Our gooseberry plants are grown from cuttings taken from our own mother plants. A well cared for gooseberry plant can live for 20 years and provide over 3kg of fruit each year.

• dessert variety
• organic certified by Soil Association
• mildew resistant
• self fertile

Planting and Care

Gooseberries are happy in full sun and can tolerate some shade. Unless training them as cordons or fans, give each bush at least 1m x 1m space to grow into.

When planting, ensure that the roots are well spread out - don’t curl or squash them into the planting hole. Water well after planting, especially in a dry spring.

Gooseberry bushes are traditionally grown in the form of an open bowl on a ‘leg’ or short stem, but can also be trained as cordons or fans, or allowed to live, as they seem to prefer, as a multi-stemmed bush. Some pruning is definitely beneficial, to improve airflow and access to the fruits, as well as to encourage better fruiting.

You may need to protect your crop from birds, using netting or a fruit cage.