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Is anyone else picking monster blackcurrants? I had two bushes, both ancient, and one died last year - I think just from old age. The remaining one is producing the biggest fruit ever!

Never seen any that size before!

Morning Grandma
 I think it`s all the rain, I`v got four 2yr old bushes and the fruit is really big, maybe it`s an upside to all the rain. My last bushes were 19yrs old when i had to dig them up. Yours seem to be ripening well mine are still green.

ours, where the bl**dy ants haven't put their aphid farms on them, are doing the same, also, biggest raspberries, tayberries and goosegogs ever..brilliant

Our raspberries are huge, much bigger than we've had them before. The blackcurrants are ripening now, I haven't seen how big yet, just saw the colour in the distance through the rain.  Weather permitting, fingers crosssed, we'll have a pick this evening.

I'm another with HUGE raspberries and jostaberries.  Blackcurrants are large, but I don't think any larger than nornal, but the redcurrant bush is so covered in fruit you can hardly see the leaves!

am slightly embarrassed to admit that I dreamed about giant raspberries growing on my plot last night :-[ (it's because my first rasp is nearly ready and I was proudly showing it off to one of the old boys, who was humouring me) they were like normal rasps but really really long and hanging like fingers from the canes... v odd!
will be thrilled if I get currants to match ;D

Yes some of my blackcurrants are the size of half a gooseberry. Unfortunately the bushes are still small so not a big harvest coming.

Just been down to the lottie to get some bits and bobs, and harvest some of the blackcurrants - yes, they are much larger than usual.

I have inherited some blackcurrant bushes on my allotment.  They have large fruit too.   I don't know how old they are.  I thought they went on  for ever if pruned.  Am I wrong and what should I look for to know they are past it.

I don't know.  You're supposed to prune them, after fruiting, but haven't sussed out how to do it yet (these plants are about three years old).  An allotment near us has bushes that are enormous, loads of fruit, never been pruned (take up halfe the path) but the fruit is really small.  Only a few feet from mine.  Ours are very well mulched with manure (3-4 inches) and are regularly fed, as well as all the water they've had in the last few weeks.  I think they need more sunshine, though.

The blackcurrants here are bigger than usual this year too - all that rain has some benefits!
Some prune after fruiting, I tend to remove any damaged stems then but do the main pruning in early spring. Each year, I cut a third of the stems down to the ground (the oldest, woodiest ones). New stems then come up during spring when the sap rises, and they harden off over summer and bear fruit the following year. The best fruit comes on these fresher stems, you will notice that really old stems on a bush that hasn't been pruned properly will tend to have clusters of fruit nearer the top and little lower down on the really thick woody growth.
After pruning, I mulch with horse muck and kitchen compost, they like a high nitrogen feed and moist soil.
Some folks cut one bush in three completely down to the ground each year, so each year one is completely renewed.

Thanks for that, Jenny, I'll have a look at what I can do next time I'm down there (weather and work permitting - why am I working when it's fine and not working when it's raining?)  ??? ??? ???

I dont have blackcurrants on my plot yet but looks like i missed out on a bumper year.

asbean  I am doing the prune and pick method.  Cutting back the branches with fruit on and then taking the fruit off. Currents into the kitchen and branches onto the compost.  Someone suggested this I think on this board.  It is working well for me so thanks whoever said it.   

SOme of my blackcurrant bushes have huge ones, and some have tiny ones. I inherited them with the plot this year, so was unsure whether they were different types.

I think I'll go and check if it has anything to do with the wood they are fruiting on. I think the last owners method was to cut all fruit bishes to 2ft high every autumn, judging by the look on the bushes. That has reduced the jostaberries a lot, but new growth is aplenty, so bumper harvest next year, methinks ;D ;D ;D

cj :)