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I do occasionally suffer from Seasonal Gooseberry Yearning which is an unfortunate disorder
in a Gooseberry-free garden (unless you count me, and I'm hoping you have the kindness not to). I attempted to correct the deficiency by planting 'Hinnonmaki Red'. I haven't yet had any Goosberries - the birds have always beaten me to them - but I have hope (the Gooseberries first line of defence, in case any of you thought it was prickliness). Cornell University's "New York Berry News" says: " Hinnonmaki Red (Finland) has outstanding flavor. Outer skin is tangy while the flesh is sweet. Very productive with dark red medium sized fruit (3.6 g) on upright plants. Favorite with home gardeners. Very adaptable to various growing systems. Would make good edible hedge or space barrier. Good mildew resistance. Begins fruiting in the planting year - a real nice feature for home gardeners. " Thanks to the Tanglewood Farm blog I can add: "This is somewhat powdery mildew resistant variety was bred in the early 1900s Hinnonmäen test station." Heimo Hirsalmi says in a paper: "As to the gooseberry, R.grossularia L., the conscious breeding started in the beginning of this century (Meurman 1947). As the result of the work done by B.W. Heikel and G. Collan, particularly at the Hinnonmäki experimental station at Lepaa, several gooseberry varieties were released for cultivation by the 1920s. Of these, ‘Hinnonmäenkeltainen’ and ‘Lepaan punainen’ are still today the most commonly grown gooseberry varieties in Finland, as they are resistant to mildew, though they do not produce big berries." |
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| 11th April 2015 | ||
