Planning the garden
Last season, I missed out on ordering red currants and gooseberry bushes. I had no idea that they are so hard ro get here in the US. They were the fruit of my childhood, and i spent many happy times picking and eating currants. A friend who has an experimental farm in the area will go in with me to order the bushes because the shipping is expensive.
These berries used to be more popular than they are now, but there is some problem with certain other crops and trees. I have to study that some more.
Currant jelly is one of my favorite spreads and gooseberries are a wonderful summer fruit.
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4 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I actually prefer the black currant. All currants are a bit hard to harvest and using a special comb helps. I have Gooseberries but I also have the Gooseberry Sawfly. It seems to be attracted to the plant like a magnet. The best way for me to get rid of this pest is with a gloved hand to look on the underside of the leaves and squash them one-by-one.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Jan 27, 2019
0
Thanks, Jack. The trick toharvesting currents is to use 6 year old people with small fingers. i am thinking a girl and her brother for squashing the pests!
@Spinliesel Interesting use of children. Do they get paid in things made from the berries? I have a friend who planted several black currants and asked me to harvest them (this is usual for her - she plants and others do the rest of the work). The plants grow too tall for children and they require a lot of pruning. I remember Schwartze Johannisbeeren Saft from my years in Germany and actually found it at a wholesaler in Seattle. I made preserves from it (I no longer harvest it as it is toooo much work and I have a separate orchard which also requires time.
It would be best to put gloves on the kids when going after the flies as, as you know, the thorns can literally be a pain. One thing I noted is that if you get the flies early then there are far fewer of them the following year.
That is great being from France I grew up with those too. Black currants are also hard to find. In certain states they are illegal to sell. I got mine via mail through a vendor in Nevada! I felt like I was smuggling when I bought it, it came with a lot of warning.
Another one is Mirabelle plums they are lovely. I finally found one of those too.
AlexRam
Level 7
Jan 27, 2019
2
I think it is the black currant bush that put nematodes into the soil to eliminate all other "competitor" for nutrients, especially coniferous trees ( pines, firs, etc.) I sometimes find mrabelle plums at my local farmers' market. So delicious!
@Spinliesel I will have to watch-out. They are in isolation and do not have trees around them.
@AlexRam It is the same in my garden.
@Spinliesel Interesting to know.
They’re alternate hosts to some fungal diseases on trees.
ADKSparky
Level 8
Jan 27, 2019
3
Yes, and create an environment detrimental to evergreens.
I love them both too. One of the best things about them is that they come quickly and easily from hardwood cuttings then mature fast, and so if you can only get one or two you can soon increase your stock. While it is always a good idea to strike a few cuttings now and again to refresh your stock as time goes by.
Fernapple
Level 9
Jan 27, 2019
3
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