Description
Hinnomaki Yellow is one half of a well-loved Finnish pair, bred for the dessert table rather than the stockpot. Its golden berries carry a sweet flavor with a distinct apricot note, a genuine rarity among gooseberries, most of which are grown chiefly for cooking.
The bush itself has a low, spreading habit, different from the upright growth of its red sibling, and stays easy to manage without much pruning. It is self-fertile, so a single plant sets a full crop of fruit each summer.
Give it full sun to part shade and rich, well-drained soil, and Hinnomaki Yellow rewards you with sweet, golden berries to eat straight from the bush, plus enough for jam and pies besides.
Overview
- Sweet, golden berries with a warm apricot note, rated for fresh eating.
- Low, spreading bush that stays compact and easy to manage.
- Self-fertile; one bush sets a full crop without a partner.
- Ripens in early to midsummer.
- A genuine dessert gooseberry, distinct from most culinary types.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Ribes uva-crispa ‘Hinnomaki Yellow’
Site and Soil: Full sun to part shade; rich, well-drained soil, pH 6.0 to 7.0, with good airflow
Hardiness: Hardy through USDA Zone 3 to 6
Propagation: Grown on its own roots from cuttings
Bearing Age: Light crop the year after planting; full crops by the third or fourth year
Size at Maturity: Low and spreading, easy to keep compact
Flowering Group: Early spring
Ripening Time: Mid season; June into July
Pollination: Self-fertile; a single bush sets a full crop
Pests & Diseases: Watch for powdery mildew, currant aphid, and leaf spot
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: Hinnomaki Yellow is the dessert half of Finland’s popular gooseberry pair; where its red sibling leans toward cooking, this one is bred and rated for eating straight off the branch.
- Regional Insight: Gooseberries thrive in cool-summer regions nationwide, from New England and the Upper Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, wherever summer heat stays moderate.
- Ribes shrubs, including gooseberries, are an alternate host for white pine blister rust, and some states restrict or require a permit for them; check your state’s rules before ordering.
- Explore more berries in our collection: Berries
