Northern Gooseberry vs Balsors Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Northern Gooseberry vs Balsors Blackberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Rubus fruticosus Balsors

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Gooseberry
Balsors Blackberry

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

The Balsors Blackberry is a cold-hardy variety that produces very large, sweet and juicy blackberries late in the summer. They are great for baking and fresh eating.

Balsors Blackberry are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Balsors Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 4a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Bark: has thorns
Berries: purple or purplish black
Berries: black
Fruit size: large
Firmness: soft
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: August
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL, YT, NT
Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry
Other Names: balsors hardy blackberry, illinois blackberry