Gooseberries

[garye]

Rather than start a whole new thread can I pose another question. We bought two bushes earlier in the year (one green one red ) and the green one now looks very, very unhealthy. All the leaves are gone, as is it's fruit. Hope i haven't killed the bloody thing! It's in a fairly big pot and seemed fine for ages. The leaves actually look eaten as opposed to having just fallen off. Is there something tha eats gooseberry leavse?

[Odsox]

The leaves actually look eaten as opposed to having just fallen off. Is there something tha eats gooseberry leavse?

Most definitely.
I can almost guarantee that you have had Gooseberry Sawfly on your bushes, unchecked they can strip all the leaves off a small bush in a matter of days. It's the sawfly larvae that does it, fairly small grey caterpillars with black heads about 10cm long.
The bushes will almost certainly sprout leaves again next spring, just inspect them once a week from early May onwards and squidge all the ones you can find, as losing all their leaves this early will weaken them somewhat.

[Annpan]

I eventually picked the gooseberries, they had very little give in them and hadn't changed colour I'm pretty sure that it's at least a month since they looked ready to pick...

But the rasps and red-currants were ripe and we now have a very small pot of mixed berry jam