All currants are fairly tart fresh. If you’re not used to them you might not be impressed. Black currants, especially, have a distinctive flavour, very different to red, white or pink. All need to be very ripe for eating raw unsweetened. One bush will not produce much of a crop. For blacks I get about 1kg per bush. And be aware that blackcurrants are a different species from red, white and pink. They need different pruning.

I have an invicta gooseberry bush. The Hinnonmaki bush died after a few weeks.

Do You know a reliable nursery for purchasing gooseberry plants? My last purchase was from starks bro but one plant didn’t make it.

I've gotten all my currants and gooseberries from Jung Seed. Hinnomaki Red is a great gooseberry for making jelly/jam/syrup but not so much for fresh eating, in my opinion. The flesh of the berry is sweet but the skin is really tart. The bush is very thorny as well which can make harvesting and working around the bush a pain at times. That said I do have 5 Hinnomaki Red growing because the jelly and syrup really is that good.

Rodney

Edit: It looks like Jung doesn't offer captivator anymore. Sorry, don't have another recommendation for where to buy.

Thanks, I actually know a nursery in Virginia but it’s about three and a half hour drive. One more question: is it normall for the gooseberry leaves to turn yellow from the bottom of the bush and fall out? I have no experience with gooseberries. we have been getting a lot of heat followed by a lot of rain. I covered it with a white plastic bag to provide some shade and have fertilized it in spring, not sure if I’ve done anything to hurt the plant.

Is captivated better for fresh eating ?

Here is the gooseberry

No it’s not normal but it’s not surprising given the heat and moisture. Covering it with a plastic bag would also not have helped. Hot and humid under there. Shade with something above only and well away from the foliage.

There is air circulation and the bag is well high above the plant . Before I covered it it looked worse. It put a lot of new leaves on after I provided some shade.

should I cover this plant like figs in winter?

I see. The wording sounded as if you put the bag over the plant rather than above it. Gooseberries are very hardy. They need no winter protection unless you have a climate which has hard freezes when they’re in flower.

I came across these two white current varieties, any experience with these ?

-WHITE IMPERIAL CURRANT PLANT

-PRIMUS WHITE CURRANT PLANTS - SWEETEST BERRIES

Where in 7b? I’m 7b Georgia ribes don’t like our hot humid summers they aren’t performing well for me

7b Maryland. We had a hot and humid summer too. My second gooseberry plant died too. I think the roots rotted due to constant heavy rains.

Rain alone might not be the problem. There’s no lack of it here. But heat and rain might be to blame.