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Gooseberries, which
fruit both on the old and new wood, crop so heavily
that it is necessary to maintain a balance between
the production of new wood and fruiting. The plants
do not need as much nitrogen as blackcurrants
do, but they need humus to maintain moisture in
summer. Without this the fruits cannot swell and
will lack both weight and flavour. So dig in plenty
of peat or old mushroom bed manure or garden compost,
or clearings from ditches or ponds.
If dry conditions prevail, water the plants as
often as possible, preferably in the evening,
giving the roots a good soaking. All soft fruits,
especially the gooseberry, require plenty of moisture
for the berries to grow large and juicy. If you
are growing dessert kinds, an occasional application
of dilute manure water given in June will help
the fruits to swell and increase the flavour.
Watering should commence as soon as the fruits
have formed and should continue until ripe. If
left until the berries have grown large, heavy
watering will then cause the skins to crack as
with tomatoes.
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