This year my gooseberries are so thick and heavy that I have started picking some in order to take the weight off the branches, which are old and straining. Even when they're still quite sour, they're fine for cooking.
The birds don't ever show any interest in my gooseberries. Even when they are ripe and quite sweet, the berries are still quite hard, so maybe that's why.
Just the very question I came on to ask Biofreak, thank you I too have loads of gooseberries for the first time since i was given them bushes 4 year ago.
The birds don't seem bothered with mine either, although I think a mouse has nibbled a couple of strawberries x
Oh don't start me on mice in the strawberries! We lost so many to mice last week, it's full-scale war now.... traps (useless), deterrents such as clove oil, ultra-sonic scarers and poison.
Biofreak could be right, I live in an area where most of my neighbours have cats, they're always in the garden, one even jumped in through an open window earlier this week. I have problems with cats using freshly prepared soil as a toilet, but it seems they do some good.
Cover freshly prepared soil with fruit netting and lay bamboo canes on top of netting on either side of proposed row (In my case to protect Boots the Bengal from stomping all over newly sown peas -he means well!) He bagged a pigeon in the Brussel Sprouts last night so a very popular cat today! Re strawberries - Shared our first one yeasterday and 2 raspberries. Dog eats the raspberries and blackberries!
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This year my gooseberries are so thick and heavy that I have started picking some in order to take the weight off the branches, which are old and straining. Even when they're still quite sour, they're fine for cooking.
The birds don't ever show any interest in my gooseberries. Even when they are ripe and quite sweet, the berries are still quite hard, so maybe that's why.
Just the very question I came on to ask Biofreak, thank you
I too have loads of gooseberries for the first time since i was given them bushes 4 year ago.
The birds don't seem bothered with mine either, although I think a mouse has nibbled a couple of strawberries x
Oh don't start me on mice in the strawberries! We lost so many to mice last week, it's full-scale war now.... traps (useless), deterrents such as clove oil, ultra-sonic scarers and poison.
Biofreak could be right, I live in an area where most of my neighbours have cats, they're always in the garden, one even jumped in through an open window earlier this week. I have problems with cats using freshly prepared soil as a toilet, but it seems they do some good.
Cover freshly prepared soil with fruit netting and lay bamboo canes on top of netting on either side of proposed row (In my case to protect Boots the Bengal from stomping all over newly sown peas -he means well!) He bagged a pigeon in the Brussel Sprouts last night so a very popular cat today! Re strawberries - Shared our first one yeasterday and 2 raspberries. Dog eats the raspberries and blackberries!
Well, MIL says she loses quite a few gooseberries to blackbirds, and just put 'gooseberries blackbirds' into Google and see what you get!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I always start picking the day before the blackbirds do it.