Black Velvet Gooseberry

A gooseberry you can eat off the bush: large, sweet, deep purple berries that look like blueberries when fully ripe, on a bush that resists mildew and winter cold. Gooseberries are native to Arizona's mountains and want cool summers, so plant it at mid elevation or in the high country with afternoon shade, and wear gloves for the thorns. Not a low desert plant.

Chill hours: 800–1200 chill hours
Harvest: July to August at mid elevation and in the high country
Pollination: Self-fruitful
Mature size: 3–4 ft tall and wide; easy to hold at 3 ft with winter pruning
Cold hardiness: Hardy here. Currants and gooseberries take about -22 to -31°F (group figure), so winter is no issue. They bloom very early, so a hard frost on open flowers can cost some fruit.
Heat tolerance: Needs afternoon shade. Ribes start to suffer above about 85°F and sunburn in strong sun. Black Velvet's wild American parent gives it fair heat tolerance for a gooseberry, but in Phoenix it still needs afternoon shade, mulch and steady water.

Which one

Every currants & gooseberrie side by side

Same fruit, different seasons and different jobs. Pick the row that fits your ground and your calendar.

	A gooseberry you can eat off the bush: large, sweet, deep purple berries that look like blueberries when fully ripe, on a bush that resists mildew and winter cold. Gooseberries are native to Arizona's mountains and want cool summers, so plant it at mid elevation or in the high country with afternoon shade, and wear gloves for the thorns. Not a low desert plant.	A medium red gooseberry with a slightly tangy skin and very sweet flesh, on an upright bush that resists mildew. Of the Ribes here it is the one rated for warmer winters, but summer heat is still the limit, so grow it at mid elevation or in the high country, out of the afternoon sun. Wear gloves, since the stems are thorny.	A tart-sweet red currant that hangs in long loose clusters, very productive and winter hardy, and rated by many as the best red currant. Arizona extension lists it for the state's mid elevations, and Arizona is a low-risk area for pine blister rust. It needs cool summers, so it is a mid elevation and high country plant, with afternoon shade at lower sites.
Harvest	July to August at mid elevation and in the high country	July to August at mid elevation and in the high country	July at mid elevation; July to August in the high country
Chill hours	800–1200 chill hours	600–1000 chill hours	800–1200 chill hours
Pollination	Self-fruitful	Self-fruitful	Self-fruitful
Mature size	3–4 ft tall and wide; easy to hold at 3 ft with winter pruning	3–4 ft tall and wide, upright; easy to hold at 3 ft with pruning	4–5 ft tall and wide; hold at 4 ft by cutting out old canes
Cold	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here
Heat	Needs afternoon shade	Needs afternoon shade	Needs afternoon shade
From	$15	$15	$15

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Black Velvet Gooseberry

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