Gooseberries Splitting

[Jonny.D]

I've just noticed that a load of the fruit has split and am wondering if this is due to all the rain we've had here this last week?

Thinking this as I've had tomatoes split after a big downpour.


TIA

[cheops]

Gooseberries will swell and split their skins if after a dry spell there is lots of rain. To stop this happening gooseberry plants with forming goosberries should be kept well watered during dry weather - mulching around the base of the bushes will also help. I would advise you remove the split gooseberries to prevent disease spreading.

[Jonny.D]

Thanks for the info Cheops, I removed the split ones, gutted as there were loads

[cheops]

Sorry you are too late this year but you will be able to prevent this happening next year. As a small consolation you may well find the gooseberries you have left will be quite large due to the thinning out you had to do. incidentally I have seen the same happening with plums. Any dry spells that occurr I water well my plum trees throughout the dry spell.

[fishpond]

You can always make Jam out of them. As cheops has said --as they have been thinned out, the ones left growing should reach a good size and be very tasty--providing you keep them watered and fed.

[Jonny.D]

Update - They kept on splitting and must have composted well over a 100.

The ones that were left never matured and are on the small size.

[burnie]

I've lost one of my bushes crop due to mildew, luckily have a smaller one with a few on it.

[BUFFS]

If I get split goosegogs OH makes jam out of them, they taste lovely and we waste nothing about to pick apricots and blackcurrants, peaches are about 4-5 weeks off being ready, then blueberries , plums, apples and pears, and it looks like being a bumper year for raspberries, we have never seen so much young fruit growing well and enjoying this very unusual spell of sunshine, far better than we had all last summer, and the one before, so it looks like we will be getting our 5 a day..