am I too late?

[Scottishnewbie]

our snow came before I had finished my winter pruning of gooseberries and currant bushes.

Snow is finally away at the weekend. hooray!

Does anyone know if I am too late to prune for this year?

[FB.]

You should be fine until the buds start to open - go ahead.

Some people prefer pruning in Nov-Dec to give wounds longer to heal before the next growing season.

Some people prefer pruning in Jan-Feb, in the hope that winter rain/snow has washed away the fungal spores from the previous summer, which might infect wounds.

I prefer not to prune if we're expecting hard frosts within a few days after pruning - I think that a hard frost can additionally damage pruning wounds and increase the risk of disease entry.

[Aberdeenplotter]

According to the bible on soft fruit - RHS Encyclopaedia of Practical Gardening

Fruit by Harry Baker ( ISBN 0 85533 193 3 )

prune in early autumn or at any time in the dormant season until March.

[Aberdeenplotter]

there are copies of that book on amazon for £0.01 + £2.80 postage. I'd call that a steal even if they are a bit dog eared.

[Scottishnewbie]

brilliant - many thanks!

and i get a lot of my books that way - recycling is the only way to go IMHO!

[sharon 1]

I prune both my currants and goosberries in jan/feb every year. I like to think that the old growth left on protects them from the worst of the winter weather.