Description
Amish Red is sold under an heirloom name and grown for its fruit rather than for any single standout trait. The canes are sturdy and upright, the plant is vigorous, and the berries ripen deep red in July with good flavor.
It makes a single flush of growth each spring and carries its berries on year-old wood, so an annual prune that takes out the oldest canes keeps it productive. Expect a plant that finishes wider than it is tall, around 3 ft high and 4 to 5 ft across, which suits a row or the back of a mixed border.
Overview
- Deep red berries with good flavor, fresh or cooked.
- Vigorous with sturdy upright canes; wider than tall at maturity.
- Fruit on year-old wood, so renewal pruning pays.
- Hardy and self-fertile; one bush sets a crop.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Ribes ‘Amish Red’
Site and Soil: Full sun to part shade; rich, well drained soil, pH 6.0 to 7.0
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 3
Rootstock: Grown from cuttings
Bearing Age: Light crop the first year; full crops by year 3 or 4
Size at Maturity: Vigorous and upright, about 3 ft tall and 4 to 5 ft wide
Ripening Time: Mid season for a gooseberry; July
Pollination: Self-fertile; a single bush sets a full crop
Pests & Diseases: Powdery mildew; currant worm strips leaves from the inside out
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: It fruits on last year’s wood, so take out the oldest canes each winter and leave the one-year shoots alone.
- Regional Insight: Gooseberries perform best where summers stay cool to moderate, from the Upper Midwest and New England to the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain states.
- Explore more berries in our collection: Berries
