Pruning
In the winter or early spring, prune away all branches that are older than 3 years.
Then prune away any weak, diseased, dead, crossing, and crowded branches.
Prune away any branches low to the ground. Branches close to the ground don’t generally produce usable fruit and mud that splashes up on them from the ground can cause disease.
Cut the remaining branches back by about 1/3 of their length, and make the cut just past an upward- or outward-facing bud. This encourages the plant to grow upwards and outwards, creating a “goblet” shape for the overall plant.
Make cuts at a 45-degree angle away from the bud.
Cut out branches from the center of the plant to keep the center open to airflow and sunshine.
Gooseberries produce on 2-year-old and 3-year-old branches.
Try to leave approximately 3 each of 1-year-old, 2-year-old, and 3-year-old branches.