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.

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 is a 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