[audrey padmore]

Hi  does anyone know when gooseberries are ready to harvest ? do they soften up or can I pick them when they have turned colour (mine are the red variety) it's my first harvest I had a bumper crop of strawberries this year

[RJR_38]

I don't have any bushes (yet) but I am sure I read somewhere that they should be the same firmness as grapes when you pick them. You can pick them earlier but they will be much sharper

[mumofstig]

Have a gentle squeeze to see if they're softer and taste a few 
If they're still sour then wait a bit longer 

[Beetroot queen]

Took mine slighty early i think but i wanted them rather than our plot thief, ours were grape like qnd a bit of give, they went into a chutney so i think we got away with them being on the sharp side.

[J_B]

new plant this year bought it about 20cms tall, am proud to say it has given me 1 goseberry a nice big one...is this normal for a new plant....

[Diddy Gardener]

Mine were got by sawfly... will have to wait 'til next year 

[Auntiemogs]

new plant this year bought it about 20cms tall, am proud to say it has given me 1 goseberry a nice big one...is this normal for a new plant....

I only had a few on mine last year J_B (their first year) so I think it's normal.  Can't believe how much they've grown this year!  I've had to support a lot of the stems to stop the fruit from laying on the ground. 

[Tom Hill]

I also have newly planted like J.B. and have had only the odd gooseberry which was soon taken by some predator.
I had one 2 year old bush which the sawfly grubs decimated in two days.  I have never seen a pest as voracious as that.

[Auntiemogs]

Yes, I had sawfly last year Tom and couldn't believe how quickly they could strip the leaves.    Luckily I managed to get to them in time and they've recovered nicely this year.  Glad it's in the front garden or I might not have noticed...

[TheWhiteRabbit]

Boy, we've been really lucky...we've not lost any, they aren't netted either! I got about a kilo off our red gooseberry the other day. Half are waiting in the fridge, the other half were turned into Pink Gooseberry and Lime ice cream...delish - tastes a little bit like lemon meringue pie!!!

[seaside]

Gooseberries suddenly turn from the sour little fruit to the swollen sweeter fruit we all recognise in a couple of days. My one and only gooseberry bush had a fair old crop on it 7 days ago, I netted it long ago, noticed the odd attack through the net that didn't come to anything, saw that the berries had suddenly turned into perfection and vowed to pick them the next morning.

I got there at 10am and the birds/squirrels/whatever predator also knew they were at perfection, and had beaten me to it. The net was pulled apart and the whole lot bar one that was tangled in the net had been wolfed.
That one goosegog was left for a reason. It was plump and delicious. And so, that one bush that I acquired from a neighbour over the Winter has interested me in growing some more, and PROPERLY protecting them. I have one or two crops every year that I swear I will grow well next season. Brussels are my baby this year and are looking OK. Gooseberry is now on the list to be a proper success next year. The predators will not beat me to it next time.

[compostqueen]

The blackbirds know exactly when harvest time is    I have managed to get some this year though but I had to keep squeezing and tasting as I picked as there were some really unripe ones amongst the ripe ones, which I thought was a bit odd.  Some of mine are coming down with mildew

That gooseberry and lime ice cream sounds lovely 

[Lincs Lottie]

We did really well this year. Almost 5 kg of gooseberries and we left quite a few on the bush for the birdies.
Now do I need to prune the bush please?
Thanks.

[Auntiemogs]

Was wondering the same LL and found this useful:-

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=332#section2

Mags