Hinnonmaki Red Gooseberry Bushes

• Variety: Hinnonmaki Red, a red dessert and cooking Gooseberry
• Latin name: Ribes uva-crispa 'Hinnonmäki Röd'
• Sold as: Bareroot plants, and pot-grown in 3 litre pots
• Fruit: Round, red and juicy. Good raw, cooked or frozen
• Picking: Midsummer, usually July
• Yield: 2 to 3kg a bush
• Size: 1 to 1.5m tall by 0.5 to 1m wide
• Habit: Vigorous and upright
• Pollination: Gooseberries are self-fertile: one bush crops alone
• Position: Sun or partial shade, sheltered
• Soil: Moist but well-drained, improved with organic matter. Mild chalk is tolerated
• Spacing: 1.5m apart
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (2025)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Hinnonmaki Red is a Finnish Gooseberry with round, red, juicy fruit for eating straight off the bush or for cooking, ready in midsummer. It is vigorous, upright and easy to grow, and in 2025 it was given the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Hinnonmaki Red Gooseberry Bushes

Hinnonmaki Red is a Finnish gooseberry, so for starters it's hardy. It's both an eating/dessert gooseberry with superb flavour straight off the bush and it also cooks and freezes well. It has a better flavour than Pax and should produce nearly 1Kg more fruit per bush (our record at home is 3.6 kg). The skin is ruby red and slightly tangy while the flesh is genuinely sweet.

Hinnonmaki Red gooseberries are upright plants and they're much more mildew resistant than Whinham's Industry. All in all a first-rate variety and a welcome addition to our range of gooseberry bushes for sale.

Growing Guide

Gooseberries are also one of the plants where we especially (as in really, really) recommend the use of Rootgrow (a recommended amount will be suggested to you at checkout). This really does speed establishment and in our experience it helps produce a significantly better plant and a very much better crop.

History & Trivia

The Hinnonmaki Red, along with Green and Yellow, was bred in the early 1900s at Finland's Hinnonmäen testing station, with an emphasis on hardiness and disease resistance.

Planting Companions

For a run of colour, plant Hinnonmaki Red beside its sisters Hinnonmaki Green and Hinnonmaki Yellow. Invicta is another Gooseberry from our range. Our guide to pruning Gooseberries covers bushes and cordons. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Soft Fruit?

Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Hinnonmaki Red Gooseberry comes bareroot while dormant, or pot-grown for planting in any month. Bareroot plants are guaranteed for 12 months, and so is a potted plant delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hinnonmaki Red need a pollination partner?

No. Gooseberries are self-fertile, so one bush crops on its own.

When are the Gooseberries ready?

In midsummer, usually July. The fruit is round, juicy and good for dessert or cooking.

How big does the bush grow?

It grows 1 to 1.5 metres tall and up to a metre wide, with a vigorous, upright habit. Plant bushes 1.5 metres apart.

How do you prune a Gooseberry?

Twice a year, in winter and in summer. Grow it as a goblet-shaped bush with an open centre, or train it as a cordon.

What soil suits it?

Moist but well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter dug in. Mildly chalky soil is tolerated. Water well as the fruit swells, and keep the base free of weeds and grass.

Does it hold an award?

Yes. It was given the Award of Garden Merit in 2025, under its Finnish name, Hinnonmäki Röd.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot plants are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown plants can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.