Gooseberry bushes

[Normans Mum]

Hi all
I have a new plot and there are maybe three or four bushes on there. Well... I say bushes, but they are more like trees. They easily stand about six foot tall. As soon as winter is here, I intend to prune them. I know they fruit on old wood, so if I prune them to a more manageable height will they come back in the spring. I've taken out some dead branches already, but I need some advice, please !

[Scarlet]

They are really hardy - you can be quite brutal with them. I cut two of mine last autumn and they still fruited quite well.

[nickdub]

Best to try to keep the center of the bushes open by taking some of the old growth right out if necessary.

You can prune them as though they were mini-apple trees, if that helps.

[Normans Mum]

Thank you Scarlet and Nickdub for your advice.