When to plant gooseberries in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant gooseberry bushes Mar 1 – Apr 26. In Bend: Apr 28 – Jun 23. Find your city below.

Difficulty: Easy
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Spacing: 4 to 5 feet apart
Planting depth: An inch or two deeper than in the pot
Frost: Hardy perennial; comes back every year
First harvest: A small crop in year two; full crops from year three

Tough, compact bushes that handle cool summers and some shade. Choose mildew-resistant varieties, and check the leaves in spring for currantworms, green larvae that can strip a bush in days.

Gooseberries planting dates

City	Plant in the garden
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15

Find your town

Portland area, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Gresham, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR	Mar 5 – Apr 30
Oregon City and West Linn, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Portland, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
St. Helens and Scappoose, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Wilsonville and Canby, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Willamette Valley, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Corvallis and Albany, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Cottage Grove, OR	Mar 13 – May 8
Eugene, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
McMinnville and Newberg, OR	Mar 4 – Apr 29
Salem, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Southern Oregon, OR 4 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ashland and Talent, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Grants Pass, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Medford, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Roseburg, OR	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Oregon Coast, OR 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Astoria, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Brookings and Gold Beach, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Coos Bay and North Bend, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Newport and Lincoln City, OR	Mar 25 – May 20
Tillamook, OR	Mar 25 – May 20

Central Oregon and the high desert, OR 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bend and Redmond, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Burns, OR	Apr 30 – Jun 25
Klamath Falls, OR	Apr 28 – Jun 23
Lakeview, OR	Apr 23 – Jun 18
Madras, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Prineville, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15

Columbia Gorge and eastern Oregon, OR 9 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Baker City, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Enterprise and Joseph, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
Hermiston, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Hood River, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
John Day, OR	Apr 20 – Jun 15
La Grande, OR	Apr 1 – May 27
Ontario, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
Pendleton, OR	Mar 20 – May 15
The Dalles, OR	Mar 20 – May 15

Seattle and Puget Sound, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Everett, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Olympia, WA	Mar 18 – May 13
Seattle and Tacoma, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Shelton, WA	Mar 16 – May 11

North Sound and the islands, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Anacortes, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Bellingham, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Olympic Peninsula and coast, WA 6 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Forks, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA	Mar 25 – May 20
Port Angeles, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Port Townsend, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Sequim, WA	Mar 10 – May 5

Southwest Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Centralia and Chehalis, WA	Mar 11 – May 6
Longview and Kelso, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26
Vancouver, WA	Mar 1 – Apr 26

Wenatchee and the Okanogan, WA 5 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Chelan, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Leavenworth, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Omak and Okanogan, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Wenatchee, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Winthrop and Twisp, WA	Apr 3 – May 29

Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, WA 8 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Ellensburg, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Ephrata and Quincy, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Goldendale, WA	Apr 7 – Jun 2
Moses Lake, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Walla Walla, WA	Mar 20 – May 15
Yakima, WA	Mar 27 – May 22

Spokane and eastern Washington, WA 3 towns

City	Plant in the garden
Colville, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Pullman, WA	Apr 1 – May 27
Spokane, WA	Apr 1 – May 27

How to grow gooseberries

Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in an inch or two of compost.
Plant gooseberry bushes on your city's dates, 4 to 5 feet apart. An inch or two deeper than in the pot.
Prune in late winter to open the center of the bush and remove stems older than three years. Thick gloves help.
Harvest: Pick green for cooking when the berries are full-sized but firm, or leave them a few weeks to soften and sweeten for eating fresh.

Popular gooseberries varieties

Widely sold picks that do well somewhere in Oregon or Washington. The tag says which side of the mountains suits each one best.

Invicta

Green, mildew-resistant · Ripens early summer

Heavy crops of large green berries for cooking, on a vigorous, thorny bush with good resistance to powdery mildew.

Both sides

Hinnonmaki Red

Red, mildew-resistant · Ripens midsummer

Medium berries that turn dark red and sweet when ripe, with a tart skin. Compact, very hardy and mildew-resistant.

Both sides

Pixwell

Green to pink, classic · Ripens midsummer

An old, very hardy American variety with berries that hang away from the thorns, making picking easier. Good for pies and jam.

Both sides

Captivator

Red, nearly thornless · Ripens midsummer

Nearly thornless stems and teardrop-shaped berries that ripen pink-red and sweet. A good pick for gardens with kids.

Both sides

Key numbers

Full sun to part shadeSun
6.0–7.0Soil pH
15–20 yearsProductive life
Powdery mildewBiggest risk

Growing notes

What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.

Green, red and dessert gooseberries

Gooseberries ripen from early to midsummer. Picked green and firm, they're tart and perfect for pies, sauces and jam. Left to ripen, many turn red, yellow or purple and get sweet enough to eat fresh. They're compact, very hardy bushes that do well in cool summers.

Mildew and currantworm

Powdery mildew is the main disease: a white, felty coating on leaves and fruit. Plant mildew-resistant varieties like Invicta, Hinnonmaki Red or Captivator, keep the center of the bush open and avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.

In spring, imported currantworm larvae can strip leaves fast. Check the undersides of lower leaves from April and pick them off or spray with spinosad.

Pruning

Gooseberries fruit on one- to three-year-old wood. In late winter, remove stems older than three years and any that cross or crowd the center. Pruning to an open, goblet shape improves airflow (fewer disease problems) and makes the thorny bush easier to pick.

Common questions about growing gooseberries

When are gooseberries ripe?

For cooking, pick when full-sized but still firm. For eating fresh, wait until they soften slightly and reach full color.

Are there thornless gooseberries?

Captivator is nearly thornless. Most other varieties have thorns, so wear thick gloves.

Can gooseberries spread white pine blister rust?

They can host it, though less readily than black currants. Rust-resistant varieties reduce the risk.

More berries and perennial crops

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