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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: carolinej on June 19, 2007, 23:04:58

Title: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: carolinej on June 19, 2007, 23:04:58
Right! That's it! I am now REALLY frustrated >:( I wait patiently till some Jostaberries are ripe, I pick one and the movement of the bush makes the other ripe ones fall off!!

I know that really there should be clear earth below the bushes, but I have to admit there's not. I cant find the ones that fall off. So far I have the grand total of 5 Jostaberries in the freezer. No, that's not 5 lb or 5 kilos, thats 5!

Will it be ok to pick them a bit before they are ripe, or am I leaving it too late and they are overripe?

Help ???

cj :)
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: jennym on June 19, 2007, 23:09:11
Mine are only just ripening. Why not try taking newspaper or a bit of old sheet and laying it on the ground before you start picking? At least you'll see them. The problem you describe is one of the reasons that I put black heavy duty woven membrane around all my fruit bushes, it also keeps the moisture in and the weeds down.
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: saddad on June 19, 2007, 23:28:14
Mine never seem to fall off... until I get bored with picking them by late July and have about 50lbs... I actually cut whole branches off and string those!
:-\
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: Deb P on June 19, 2007, 23:41:18
Silly question, but what do they taste like? I love blackcurrants, but I'm not sure about gooseberries unless they are fully ripe........ :-\
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: jennym on June 19, 2007, 23:46:57
They've got a good taste, neither blackcurrant nor gooseberry, hard to describe, a blend of both that's different.
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: saddad on June 19, 2007, 23:47:58
Try some... we have more than enough...
;D
By the Poly if you hadn't spotted them.... ???
Title: Re: Jostaberry problem.
Post by: carolinej on June 20, 2007, 07:07:34
I havent got that many on my bushes. Saying that, the previous owner has hard pruned them, so there is very little old wood. Will they keep producing for long, or are the berries on there the only ones I am going to get this year?

Thanks

cj :)