Kitchen Garden Forum

My blackcurrant bushes are in their 2nd year and are laden with fruit but they are all bursting before they ripen fully - is it the rain? When I try and pick them - they are not ripening evenly either, for every one I pick off, 10 unripe ones fall off no matter how gently I try and do it. The birds seem to be more procupied with the pecking the raspberries and gooesberries to death

its the rain causing the bursting, it may also affect the gooseberries. the uneven ripening will be the lack of sunshine.

This very uneven ripening happening to mine too although so far I haven't had a bursting problem. Does it damage the bushes if a few of the leaves are snipped off to allow the sun more access, rather like tomato leaves being removed? Some of my leaves are badly affected with blister bubbles caused by some bug anyway and I wonder whether leaf removal would stop this spreading as well as helping ripening?