Prepare the ground well before planting. Remove all weeds and dig in plenty of well-rotted manure into the area. Space at 1.5m (5ft) intervals and once planted, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure every spring, as well as a nitrogen and potassium fertiliser. Make sure the plant is watered in dry weather and net the bushes to protect the fruit from birds.
 Gooseberries are often grown as open-centred bushes with a good branching  structure on a short stem and fruit on  one year old wood. Prune in late  winter/early spring. In the first year, prune all the shoots by 50-75% in  winter. Tip prune any previously pruned shrubs to encourage the formation of side shoots. In their second winter, choose 8 to 10 of these new stems to form  the main framework and shorten them by up to 25%. Remove any remaining shoots  that are growing into the centre of the bush or are crossing/rubbing against  other branches. Finally cut back all the remaining shoots to within four buds  from the main stems. 
 In subsequent years, the plant can be pruned in two ways. Establishing fruiting  spurs will produce a small crop of larger fruits, while removing whole  branches right back to their base will produce a bigger crop of smaller fruit.  To form fruiting spurs, cut back all the shoots that have formed in the  previous year to a bud approximately 8cm (3in) from the point where it joins  the main stem. New branch leaders should also be cut back to within a few buds of the  older wood. Alternatively, completely remove old, weak or crossing branches to  open up the centre of the bush and then cut back any growth that is coming from below 10cm (4in) above ground level.