When gooseberries ripen in different regions and how to make harvesting easier

Many gardeners are planning to harvest gooseberries and it is important for them to know if their plantings are progressing normally. It is difficult to resist and not compare your own gardening achievements with those of your neighbors. But do not worry ahead of time: gooseberries in the regions of our vast country ripen in different ways, early maturity is influenced by both the variety and the care of the bush, as well as the characteristics of the season.

Ripening dates for gooseberries in the Moscow region and other regions

The gooseberry is one of the first fruiting shrubs that delights the gardener with a long-awaited harvest.

The ripening time of gooseberry berries depends on many factors:

• there are early and late plant varieties;
• the climate is different in different regions, which means that the timing of planting and harvesting also varies;
• the season can be rainy, due to the cold and lack of sun, the ripening of berries is delayed;
• the appearance of the crop depends on the care of the bushes, in particular, on the timely application of fertilizers and watering.

The first in turn to harvest gooseberries are the southern regions. There, subject to all conditions and in a good sunny season, the first berries are harvested in early July.

In the Moscow region, gooseberries are also grown successfully, but it is better not to wait for the harvest before mid-July. And if a rainy summer happens in central Russia, then the collection of fruits from the bush moves to the end of the seventh month or even to August.

By the beginning of August, sweet and sour berries ripen in the Urals. In the last month of summer, there is an active collection of gooseberries in Siberia.

How to speed up the ripening of gooseberries

Simple agrotechnical measures that will help the gooseberry bushes develop harmoniously, as well as bear fruit abundantly in the early stages:

1. Place plantings strictly on the sunny side of the site, preferably from the south.
2. Protect the curtain from drafts: they weaken the gooseberries.
3. Do not neglect the annual sanitary pruning, correctly form the bushes according to the schemes, avoid thickening. So extra ovaries will not overload the shoots, and the root system will be able to quickly and fully nourish the berries.
4. Choose early maturing varieties. The late ripening of the bushes is suitable only for the southern regions.
5. Apply fertilizer on schedule. Organic matter introduced under the bush in the spring will help it begin to actively grow greenery and gain strength for flowering. When the buds bloom, additional nitrogen is not needed, otherwise the bush will continue to grow and will not send juices to ripening fruits.

Advice
A fresh crop is best eaten immediately after removal from the bush. Send the last wave of berries for jam and other preparations.

Two stages of ripeness

There are two stages of gooseberry maturity:

1. Technical - the berries can already be picked and eaten, but they do not separate well from the stalk and have a dense skin.
2. Consumer - after a while, usually 10-15 days after technical ripeness, the fruits reach full maturity, their skin becomes thinner, the flesh becomes full of color, and if you are late, they will fall off the bush themselves.

Advice
Green gooseberries are also used in cooking. Unripe berries are very sour, but it is this property that makes them an excellent addition to compotes, jams, marinades. But remember that green gooseberries removed from the bush will no longer ripen. You don't need to store them.

How to quickly collect gooseberries

Gooseberry harvesting is hampered by sharp thorns on the shoots. On industrial plantations, the bushes are driven by machines, and the berries fall by themselves.

Gardeners have also adapted, bypassing the thorns so as not to prick themselves:

1. Home collection device - an electric vibrator. He will make the berries fall from the bush on his own. You just need to lay polyethylene or newspapers on the ground, and at the end of the work, pull it out and transfer the crop to a basket.
2. A plastic bottle device is a cheap and effective invention for gardeners. Take a small bottle of 0.5-0.7 liters and make a wedge-shaped cut closer to the bottom. You get a scoop, which is very convenient to cling to ripe berries. The device is held by the neck and the cut is placed at the base of the stem. Just run the bottle along the branch and the berries will be in it. Now pour the gooseberries into a container and repeat the steps with the other branch.
3. Long, heavy-duty gardening gloves will help you pick the berries quickly by hand, avoiding deformed samples and debris from entering the basket. Just try not to crush the berries, as your hands will lose sensitivity.

Not all varieties hold ripe berries well on the branches, and the fruits have to be harvested as they ripen, but there are also varieties that can be harvested in one day. Most often, gooseberries bear fruit within one month. Follow the growing conditions and the curtain will provide you with a continuous harvest from July to September. Remember that the maximum fruiting occurs at 7-8 years of plant life, and the average yield per bush is 5 kg.