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Where have my gooseberries gone.

mooota1514mooota1514 Posts: 74
edited August 2019 in Problem solving
Hi I've got a 5 year old gooseberry bush and there was a good crop ready to pick.

I noticed the gooseberries have disappeared anyone got any suggestions as I don't think it will be neighbours or anything like that as I live in a secluded well-behaved area.

Could it have been blackbirds or some sort of of other animal.
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Blackbirds 🙄.  The only reason they didn’t take mine is because they preferred the blueberries 🤣 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • mooota1514mooota1514 Posts: 74
    Dovefromabove said:
    Blackbirds 🙄.  The only reason they didn’t take mine is because they preferred the blueberries 🤣 
    Think I need to get a net next year. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I do put little seaside type windmills in the ground around my goosegogs when they’re getting ripe ... the blackbirds seem to keep away. 

    Cant do that with the blueberries cos the blackbirds perch in the branches ... the goosegogs are too thorny for them to do that. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Cheeky b***ers!  I don't grow gooseberries, but the blackbirds are telling me what they think of me for pinching their blueberries when I go out to pick them.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • duncanXzNNPZGLduncanXzNNPZGL Posts: 3
    Last year our gooseberry crop from 3 small bushes disappeared overnight. We assumed it was taken by deer. 

    This year we protected the bushes using frames and netting. The fruit were approaching maturity when once again they disappeared.

    I cannot find a rational explanation. The frame and netting is secure and in tact. We have no neighbours. Any logical suggestions welcome.
  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    We put a new bush in this year, so hadn't expected any. My wife, who loves gooseberries, was pleased to see some coming.
    But like you, @duncanXzNNPZGL we noticed one morning, they had disappeared.
    We've never netted our berries or currants, but I'm getting disheartened this year.
    But, we don't have deer. As for yours, is it possible that a squirrel got in? And out again!
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    edited June 2023
    Interesting. Our gooseberries are next to the red currants and black currants. Overhead on an old tent frame is a kiwi plant. The blackbirds take as many of the red currants as they can before I can get to them. They never however touch the gooseberries or blackcurrants. This has been the same for many years and we have just harvested the last bucket of gooseberries. The blackcurrants will have to wait.
    Some years ago friends did have their gooseberries taken by a badger as well as their strawberries.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    We think the deer had all ours last year.
  • duncanXzNNPZGLduncanXzNNPZGL Posts: 3
    We do have deer and squirrels as regular visitors. There is a possibility that the squirrels have found a way into & out of the cages, they are after all very smart when it comes to grabbing food, though unsure how they could do that without leaving signs. I am sure it’s not blackbirds due to the weight of fruit removed. It would take a few animals with relatively large stomachs to remove all that fruit in one day. 
    Thanks for your responses, vigilance is the key. Going forward I will tread softly and carry a big bat.
  • seacrowsseacrows Posts: 234
    Our low hanging red currants, gooseberries and raspberries get taken by the dog. She can pull netting off and leave the fruit she can't reach for the birds. We now reach for the water pistol as she goes outside and are hopefully training her to leave the fruit.
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