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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: laurieuk on May 25, 2014, 10:28:09

Title: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: laurieuk on May 25, 2014, 10:28:09
(http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/laurieuk/000_0055.jpg) (http://s374.photobucket.com/user/laurieuk/media/000_0055.jpg.html)
Several people are saying problems this year with gooseberries. This is a plant I bought last year so this is it's first year of cropping. I have already thinned some fruit and have had to tie the branches up to keep the fruit off the soil. I did buy from a fruit nursery so they were dug one day and re-planted the next.
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: Jayb on May 25, 2014, 10:31:21
They look fabulous, what an amazing first crop  :sunny:
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: Paulines7 on May 25, 2014, 11:01:19
They look good Laurieuk.   I wish mine looked like that! 

I have mine under netting this year so the birds cannot eat them all, but the gooseberries are not very big.
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: digmore on May 25, 2014, 19:12:20
Well done that man....... :wave:
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: winecap on May 25, 2014, 21:17:01
On the thought of problems with gooseberries this year, I see that two of my bushes are heaving with fruit but a third has only three or four berries. Very strange to see so little fruit on it. No idea what any of the varieties are but they are all established bushes.
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: antipodes on May 26, 2014, 16:38:34
Mine never get that big! Still I have a lot of fruit, I have just netted my bush, sorry birds!
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: galina on May 26, 2014, 21:53:22
They look super.  Mine are about a month behind yours. Super crop.   :wave:
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: sparrow on May 27, 2014, 14:10:56
Wow they look fantastic!

Pigeons got lots of mine - caught me by surprise this year. Am sure the remains will be lovely- please can I have minimal June drop! :)
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: strawberry1 on May 31, 2014, 17:59:33
I just netted mine this afternoon, they are groaning with berries. I want to bottle some this year so must get myself organised. When do you expect to start picking?
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: laurieuk on June 02, 2014, 13:33:04
I have already had 2 pickings ,as I am thinning them to get better fruits. I had had one picking when I took the first photo.
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: grannyjanny on June 04, 2014, 08:26:39
We were at our plot on Monday. The chap next door but one said he didn't realise wood pigeons ate gooseberries until he saw 4 on ours. Thank you WP. Gooseberryless now. New fruit cage being planned.
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: Digeroo on June 04, 2014, 09:13:42
That is amazing mine have taken several years,  but this looks like being the year of the gooseberry for me.

What do you feed them on?
Title: Re: first crop of gooseberries
Post by: laurieuk on June 04, 2014, 09:54:19
When I planted I used root grow to help form a good root system, I mulched early this year with some good rotted manure left from last year and also gave them some Vitax Q 4 that I use on my daffodils.