Gooseberry ‘Little Ben’ (Ribes uva-crispa)

Quick to set fruit, may fruit the year following planting! Productive, self-fertile shrub. One mature plant will produce approximately 8-9 pounds of sweet, flavorful berries with tart skins. Small, yellow-green flowers in spring are followed by plentiful, large fruit that ripens to red mid-summer. Resistant to powdery mildew. Compact, bushy deciduous shrub with stiff, thorny stems. Extremely hardy, zones 3-7. Harvest in late summer, when ripe fruit often drops from the plant. Little Ben is a compact, smaller selection of Hinnonmaki Red, matures at 2-3 feet, making it a well-behaved addition to your edible landscape. Younger branches bear the fruit, so older, weakened or damaged branches can be trimmed out. One of the easiest to prune due to the low amount of thorns. Late winter or early spring. Soil Requirement: Average, moist, well-drained soil.