Dove is right about the spacing; Due to the thorns they can be tricky to pick and you need manoeuvring space around them to avoid excessive blood loss! Also, they crop so heavily that the branches bend under the weight of fruit so get about 50% wider near harvesting time.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
As the others have said. Loads of space. I abandon my crop every year as too difficult to pick, but then I have Jerusalem artichokes growing through them too!
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Give them more space than you think they need - that's me speaking from experience!!!
Lots more advice here http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/features/fruit-veg/growing-gooseberries/3332.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove is right about the spacing; Due to the thorns they can be tricky to pick and you need manoeuvring space around them to avoid excessive blood loss! Also, they crop so heavily that the branches bend under the weight of fruit so get about 50% wider near harvesting time.
I have three well established gooseberry bushes which I want to move. When is the best time?
I would move them any time that the soil is workable between leaf fall and February. If the new site is well prepared they'll be fine.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As the others have said. Loads of space. I abandon my crop every year as too difficult to pick, but then I have Jerusalem artichokes growing through them too!