Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) are compact, very hardy shrubs with sharp thorns, so wear gloves when picking and pruning. They grow in ordinary garden soil with good humus content and tolerate light shade, but dislike hot, dry positions. Plant bare-root bushes in October or early spring, about 1.2–1.5 m apart, and mulch generously to keep the shallow roots cool and moist. Gooseberries fruit on older wood; each winter remove branches older than about four years along with low, crossing and inward-growing shoots, keeping an open, goblet-shaped bush with good air circulation. That openness is the best defence against American gooseberry mildew, which covers shoots and berries with a white, later brown, felt-like coating; resistant varieties such as 'Invicta' or 'Rokula' avoid most of the trouble. From May, also check the leaves for gooseberry sawfly larvae. Pick some unripe green berries in June for cooking and jam, and leave the rest to ripen fully in July for eating fresh.