the hardest thing to pick: blackcurrants

[Two_Sheds]

Fiddly little things, blackcurrants. A bit "not worth the bother" perhaps.

I tried picking off a bunch at a time, they weren't coming. Lots got squashed.

Couldn't shake the bush, as ground all muddy - no room to put a sheet down under the bush.

Tried picking each berry individually to stop them getting squashed ... 4 hours later and 3 bushes to go ...

I could cut off each stem, but then you've still got to separate stalky bit from berry somehow

I guess I need a proper tool. Something like this

[bobleponge]

I'm sure it was HFW who had a blackcurrant harvesting tool. He seemed to be quite happy with it.
Only problem with the tool you described above would be eating them afterwards I guess?

[singleseeder]

Ok, so here's an idea...

Grow an even number of blackcurrant bushes, first year cut alternate ones to the ground. The ones that have been left will fruit, those that have been cut down will grow new shoots which will fruit the second year.

When fruit is ripe on the bushes you have left, cut all of the stems to the ground and carefully carry the fruit laden branches to a garden table where you can sit comfortably and cut the bunches of currents off the branches. These bunches can then be dealt with by pulling the currents off the stalks with a table fork. The whole exercise can be improved by doing it on a warm evening with a glass of wine to hand.

If you want to increase the stock of bushes you have, just make a slit trench with a spade and put some of the cut branches in. Most will 'strike' and can be transplanted when bigger.

The second year, repeat with the alternate bushes which will have flowered and fruited.

This is an alternative take on the usual advice of pruning out half of the branches on each bush.

[OllieMartin]

To save growing my own blackcurrants, I nip around to a near-by house where their garden is overgrowing their back wall and pinch all their unwanted blackcurrants!
It's definately not an intentional bush and they'd only go to the birds otherwise!

[Nicos]

Brill idea singleseeder!!!!!

I actually don't mind doing the first couple of bushes..it's the last 5 that get to me
Anyway- all in the UK- so either our neighbour is picking them this year for themselves- or the birds will be getting stuck in!!!

I'd rather pick them than gooseberries though! ( ouch)

I pull off whole bunches into plastic bags and when I get home pull out the odd leaf I've added the the biggest bit of stems....then freeze and sort them out as I need them. The tops and stems just rub off when they're frozen

[janeyo]

We watched 'Come outside' yesterday on Cbeebies (very highbrow in my house lol) and Aunty Mabel (aka the nurse from Open All Hours), went to a blackcurrant farm where thay had an amazing machine that picked them.

Maybe not an option for one or two bushes though... lol

[Tam]

I always do the pruning before the picking. I cut off all the fruiting branches, just leaving this year's wood. It is then much easier to remove the fruit from the loose branches. My blackcurrants are now well over thirty years old, in the same spot, and crop very heavily. I give them a heavy mulch of compost every winter.

[OllieMartin]

I like your "Proper Tool" TS!

You could do something like these Chinese fishermen with their cormorants:
YouTube - Fishing with birds in China

Just tie the Blackbird's neck so it can't swallow the Blackcurrants and let them do all the hard work!

[Flummery]

I seem to be using a chicken to harvest mine. Then again, I don't get any for myself, so not an ideal solution!

[Two_Sheds]

I always do the pruning before the picking. I cut off all the fruiting branches, ... It is then much easier to remove the fruit

You're right, and I remember doing this before. I haven't had any to pick recently because the pole-vaulting blackbirds got them all

[Dottie]

You're right, and I remember doing this before. I haven't had any to pick recently because the pole-vaulting blackbirds got them all

This will be my first year of harvesting blackcurrants and I hadn't realised they would be a problem to pick, so it's worth knowing the best technique from the off.

I've just consulted "The Fruit Expert" book and it says to prune between Nov and March. So will the bushes be ok if I prune them while harvesting? If the system works it sounds good to me, doing 2 jobs in 1 go.

I also harvested my first major crop of ruby gooseberries this year, but it was so painful I'm not sure I really want the 4 bushes I've planted. 2 are from cuttings last year, so only little. But I have white and a ruby that fruited this year, although the white didn't produce a full crop.

Any suggestions on an easy way to harvest gooseberries or should I consider giving them away and having the beds for veg? At the moment I have a gooseberry bush in the centre of each of 4 beds, with veg/flowers growing either side of each plant. The idea when planting was that as the bushes grow the less veg I'll put in.

[realfood]

I find that it is reletively straight forward to pick blackcurrants and gooseberries.
Remember to net the bushes against birds while the fruit is ripening. This also enables you to delay picking the fruit until it is really ripe and as sweet as is possible. It is also easier to pick. The following is from my website:-
For blackcurrants:-Pick the fruit when it is really black, and soft. Lift up the branch tip and you will see all the blackcurrants hanging down, ready just to easily pull off their stalks.

For gooseberries:-To pick the fruits, lift up the tip of a branch with one hand and pick off the hanging ripe fruits with the other hand. You will probably have to pick over the bush several times as the fruit does not all ripen at once and you want the fruit to be really ripe.

[Two_Sheds]

For blackcurrants:-Pick the fruit when it is really black, and soft. Lift up the branch tip and you will see all the blackcurrants hanging down, ready just to easily pull off their stalks.

Yes, I tried all that already, already. Hence the thread ... it's not as easy as that

[Dottie]

Yes, I tried all that already, already. Hence the thread ... it's not as easy as that

Yep at that method is certainly not easy or pain free when picking gooseberries.

[Gardening Extras]

I have the perfect solution for you, Berry Picker May be just what you need.

I came across these a while ago and they seem fairly popular. you could replicate it and make your own possibly - if you didn't want to buy one.