Missouri Gooseberry Seeds

This seed produces one of the best flavored species of gooseberries. Missouri is one of the few North American species that was cultivated to any extent as the plants are very productive.  Some of the early American gooseberries used this species as part of its breeding due to its resistance to disease and increased productivity. The dark purple berries ripen in July and have to be very delicately plucked from the thorny branches. The flavor is as good or better than any cultivated gooseberry we have tried. 

To germinate the seeds:  For fall planting. Lightly surface sow the seeds barely covering them with soil. Best to use sand or peat moss and tamp it into the soil so the seed holds.  Seeds will come up throughout the spring and summer season slowly. A portion of the seeds will come up in the 2nd year as the seed coat is often impermeable to water during that first year.  For indoor planting: put in lightly moist Canadian peat moss for 90-120 days at 33-38 F in the refrigerator.  Remove after 120 days. Seeds will sprout very quickly so it is best just to sow the whole lot in a flat and let them get started on their own without the usually plucking them from the seed bag.  Very easy to grow from seed, you can get fruiting plants in 2-3 years from seed.