Description
Selby is an Ottawa breeding selection, held in the USDA collection since 1995 and rarely offered by anyone. If you like having something in the garden your neighbors do not, this is one of them.
The berries are large and purple-red, sweet and good to eat straight off the bush, and the plant is an upright, compact shrub of about 3 ft, which places easily in a border or a small garden. Grow it as you would any gooseberry: sun to part shade, rich well drained soil, and a winter prune to keep the center open.
Overview
- Large purple-red berries, sweet and good fresh.
- Upright, compact shrub, about 3 ft tall and wide.
- An uncommon Canadian selection, rarely offered.
- Hardy and self-fertile; one bush sets a crop.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Ribes ‘Selby’
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: Upright and compact, about 3 ft tall and 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: A compact upright bush takes a tidy winter prune well: cut out the oldest third of the canes and leave the rest 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
