my fellow canadian he he he, I grow pixwell too and everyone here likes them.Poorman, hinnomaki red are very good also.I grow black velvet and josta too but will only get to try them later this summer so can't comment on the flavor yet. Romance series bush cherries are probably a safe bet,I planted some last year that were measly 2 inch tall way over priced plugs which are now 3 feet tall in one growing season! Hardy kiwi do very well for me and taste great!If want to try kiwi send me a PM in the fall and I can send you some. How long is your growing season? you can probaly grow some of the shorter season grapes.Saskatoons are really good too, I have a lot of wild ones growing on my property some are bushes and some like the one in my back yard are more like trees and have 6 inch diameter trunks! I actually bought some named varieties last year, thiessen,honeywood and JB30...... hopefully they will taste as good as the wild ones. glenn

Gooseberries can be invasive if ignored, but if you prune them occasionally for fruit they should not cause too many problems. They do sucker at the tips of branches--posibly that would be more problematic with your sandy soil--we have clay in my area. They also like some soil acidity, but don't seem too demanding about that. My Pixwell gooseberry bushes form an arching mound about chest high. They are easy to propagate, so you would find it simple to expand your hedge. You could just prune the inner side facing your garden and use the old outer branches as your hedge. Their branches are thorny, but stronger and more flexible than the canes of raspberries and blackberries. They make a fairly attractive, impenetrable shrub. Additionally, they are very flexible regarding lighting. I agree that rugosa roses, with attractive hips, would also be very nice. Hansa grows rather large and is quite vigorous, but could be kept pruned; or you could choose one of the smaller, less vigorous ones. Rugosas are supposed to like sandy soil, and even grow on beaches. There are some older varieties, such as Frau Dagmar Hartopp (possibly mispelled by me) which have been popular for ages.

First, you need to find out if California allows the Ribes genus to be imported (if buying from out of state). The Ribes genus is the obligatory alternate host of White Pine Blister Rust. When white pine was a valuable timber tree (not as true now), many states passed laws against allowing Ribes to be brought into their state. [In truth - many Ribes do not naturally get WPBR, however Black Current tends to be the most susceptible, but varieties resistant to it have been bred]. Two, Will Ribes grow in your area? I noted that you are zone 9. Generally Ribes are rated 4-7/8 (one of the most cold hardy of fruits). The further south - the more shade they need. However I did find one Southerly Currant that is rated 7-9 (Pulsborough Scarlet flowering currant - see link) Three, none of the Ribes/Currants produce 'sweet' fruit. Gooseberries - Generally extremely thorny, sweet/tart fruits. Fruit is like a firm grape in texture. There is one or two thornless varieties. Red/White currants - very seed/extremely tart fruit. Best used for jelly. But makes more of a jelly for cooking (i.e. glaze etc.) rather than something you'd enjoy on toast (unless you don't like sweet jelly/jam on your toast). Black Currant - Some people like them raw, but I always thought they tasted like dirt. Very good/powerful aroma cooked. Supposedly high in anti-oxidants. Bigelow's (I think) used to sell a black currant tea made from the leaves, it had a powerful (good) aroma (you could smell it easily through the box's plastic wrapping, the tea had a good aroma, but the tea had no flavor (would be good mixed with something else). Stay away from the varieties Consort/Crusade - WPBR resistant, but nothing else to recommend them. Some of the newer varieties out of Europe are supposed to be good. Gooseberry/Black currant hybrids - Famous variety is known as "jostaberry". Huge bush, moderately productive, not much Blackcurrent flavor, but not as good as a gooseberry. The newer Orus out of Germany is supposedly much better - it does however have some thorns. Here is a link that might be useful: Raintree Currant Listings

Good luck with your Jostas. Since you have a new cultivar they may well be more productive than the ones I had which were cuttings from a plant growing in Germany in the 80s. I'd be interested to know how cordons work out for you. The method works well with red currants but is not commonly used with black currants and the latter are most similar to Jostas. This is because for cordons you grow a permanent framework. With black currants you cut out old wood regularly. "Blackcurrants cordons The blackcurrant is seldom grown as a cordon because the pruning and growing method is different to other currants and gooseberries. As can be imagined, a bush that needs its old stems removing regularly to keep it invigorated and encourage a fresh supply of fruiting wood, isn’t really going to be much use as a cordon. But if you really are tucked for space and you want to allocate just 18” for a cordon then it is still possible to grow a blackcurrant in this way, allowing the main stems to fruit for 2/3 years and then removing one of two main stems and allowing another to replace it. Not the most satisfactory of growing method but doable if you have no other choice." Source