Gooseberry prunings

[mothhawk]

I'd like to ask a quick question about gooseberry prunings. I'm a newbie to gooseberries, but by dibbing in cuttings from the first pruning of my gooseberry, I now have lots of fledgling bushes.

What I'd like know is, can I put future prunings from the bushes in the compost bin? Will they rot down OK or will I be setting myself up to have fingerfuls of spines when I empty the bin later in the year? I put rose prunings in, but only after nipping the point off each thorn, 'cos they take quite a while to decompose.

[Paulieb]

I put some blackcurrant prunings in my compost a few years ago. When I came to empty the compost they had all rooted!

Now what I do is either stick them in the ground the make a new plant or put them in a pile in the open to dry out for a fire. The resulting ash will be good sprinkled around all fruiting plants.

[Shadylane]

I would think they'd take a while to rot down. I shred all my prunings then sprinkle the wood chips around the fruit bushes, but otherwise I would burn them if you're allowed to have fires.

[Dorothy rouse]

There might be some other Lottie's, who might like them, worth asking. I grew on a number of blackcurrant prunings and passed them on to neighbour.