A gooseberry bush, cut back and supported for the winter

Gooseberry bushes are cold-hardy to -40 degrees F. There’s not a lot you need to do to prepare these plants for winter; it’s mostly neatening up.

Final Harvest

If you live in a temperate area, your harvest will probably be far behind you by the time winter comes around. The most important thing is to remove any dead wood on the bush. Don’t prune—save that for spring, after the last frost.
Then clean up any leaf litter. Dead leaves can harvest spores, and that can be a problem for your gooseberry bushes and other plants in your garden.

Water

If you have a good layer of mulch under your gooseberry bushes, that will help retain some water. As the bush heads into winter dormancy, it won’t need regular watering. But if you have a particular dry spell, a little drink would be in order.

Fertilize

Gooseberry bushes do not need fertilizer over the winter. Save fertilizing and pruning for the spring.

How do your gooseberry bushes do over the winter? Please share your tips with us.