When gooseberries ripen: how to pick ripe berries

Quite often, gooseberries are planted in summer cottages. This is a tasty and healthy berry that can be consumed both fresh and canned. Blanks for the winter can be of different directions, and the fruits are used at different levels of maturity. When gooseberries ripen and when to pick them depends on many factors.

Ripening terms

The ripening time of gooseberries depends on what variety the plant is planted in the summer cottage, for what purposes it is planned to pick berries, and other factors. The climatic features of the region are also important.

The time of picking berries depends on the variety and climate

Collection time depending on the variety

When does early gooseberry ripen? On average one month after the flowering season. These types include gooseberries:

• Spring;
• Chernomor;
• Anniversary.

The varieties of medium ripeness ripen 1.5 months after the fruit ovary. Mid-season species are:

• Gingerbread man;
• Krasnoslavyansky;
• Malachite;
• Pink-2;
• Firework;
• Prune.

The fruits of shrubs with late ripeness begin to be harvested no earlier than 2 months after flowering. Examples of varieties:

• Russian;
• Change;
• Date fruit;
• Sirius.

Berry picking depending on the region

The weather conditions in each region are different, therefore, the collection time falls on different periods of the summer. For example, in the Far East, in the Moscow region, gooseberries ripen when they harvest in central Russia. The first berries can be enjoyed in the first half of July, mid-season varieties - at the end of the month, and late ones at the very beginning of August.

Ripe berries have a characteristic color depending on the variety

In regions with a sharply continental climate, for example, in the Urals or Siberia, warming occurs only at the end of May. Gooseberries bloom in the second decade of June, so the collection of early varieties occurs at the end of July, when the gooseberries ripen. Ripe berries of other varieties are harvested 10-15 days later, respectively.

In the southern regions, the earliest start of the gooseberry season. Already in June, you can get the first harvest.

Of course, the indicated dates, when the gooseberries ripen, are nominal. Weather conditions change from year to year, therefore, the dates may shift. It is necessary to visually assess the condition of the berries - color, degree of filling and taste.

Harvest time for different needs

First, the berries are technically mature. During this period, the skin acquires a characteristic shade for the variety. Taste of pulp with sourness. In this case, it is better to harvest them for the winter in the form of compotes or jam.

Gooseberry jam has excellent taste

When to harvest gooseberries for fresh consumption? Best of all during its biological maturity. The color of the fruit does not change, but the flesh becomes juicier. The tail dries up, and the skin immediately bursts when pressed.

Well-ripe berries have a juicy pulp, acidity is significantly reduced, sugar is collected. In this form, the fruits are consumed fresh. Perfect for jam, and you need to put much less sugar.

How to pick gooseberries correctly

How to collect gooseberries is the number one question for gardeners. The problem is the presence of thorns on the branches, which brings a lot of inconvenience. Most often, this process is done manually. It is the most gentle, the berries retain their integrity.

But gooseberry stems have thorns, which causes some inconvenience when collecting. Therefore, in order not to injure your hands, you need to choose the right clothes. It should be long sleeved. Also use leather or suede gloves. There are certain drawbacks to this method of harvesting. The sensitivity in gloves decreases slightly and there is a possibility that overripe berries will burst and lose their properties. Therefore, it is necessary to try to remove them together with the stalk. In addition, work is proceeding rather slowly.

Mechanical method

With the mechanical method, a special device is used - a vibrator. To begin with, a film or dense fabric is spread around the bush. Then tilt a separate stem and act on it with a vibrator. The branch begins to vibrate, as a result of which the berries begin to crumble and fall onto the litter. At the next stage, the fruits begin to be cleaned of impurities. This is done with a stream of air from the same vibrator.

The disadvantage of this method is the fact that under the influence of the mechanism, not only ripe gooseberries crumble, but also immature ones. Therefore, sorting has to be done later.

Using the comb method

Collecting gooseberries using the comb method is carried out by means of a thimble, which is put on the thumb, and a device resembling a comb is attached to it. You can make it yourself from wire. Usually 4 to 6 teeth are mounted on it. The dimensions of the teeth are 1 cm long and 0.7 cm wide.

Gathering gooseberries with a comb

During collection, hold the branch with one hand, and with the other, using a homemade comb, hold it as close to its base as possible. You need to move the device towards you. The berries, coming off, fall into the palm of the hand. With this method, the collection is much faster. Allows you to painlessly remove fruits from bushes, even with large thorns.

Processing the plant after harvest

Having gathered the present crop, one should take care of the future. In order for the bush to please with an abundance of berries on the bush, you need to perform a number of activities after the fruits are removed from the branches:

• Pruning a bush. Remove all broken, thickened and darkened stems. They are cut with a sharp pruner at the very base of the bush.
• Rough shoots of this year are removed. That is, straight shoots without branching should go from the very base of the bush. Large and juicy berries will be born on them next year. A mature bush should have no more than 20 shoots.
• After a couple of weeks, the plant is fed by applying compost and potash fertilizers. A small depression is made around the bush at a distance of 20 - 30 cm, top dressing is placed in it and sprinkled with soil.
• The bushes are treated with fungicides and other sanitary agents to destroy diseases, pests and their larvae before the shrub enters the winter sleep season.

Pruning gooseberries after harvest

Harvest storage

Before picking gooseberries, you first need to think about how to store the berries. This can be done in several ways, depending on the purpose for which the crop will be used.

Technical ripening berries can be kept fresh for a certain period.But, after washing, be sure to dry them by putting them on a cloth or paper towel. Then they are placed in containers with a volume of less than 5 liters. Next, the container is left in a dry and dark place. The maximum storage time for such berries is 4 days.

For ripe fruits, the container volume must be reduced by 2 times. Basket material - chip tape. Shelf life under similar conditions is no more than 2 days. Such baskets are very convenient for transporting crops.

A few tips from the experience of gardeners on the storage of the gooseberry crop:

• Berries harvested in dry weather can withstand storage times in a cool place up to 10 days.
• Do not pick gooseberries in the early morning, when the dew is not yet dry. Storage times will be significantly reduced.
• To extend the shelf life, it is necessary to carry out a short-term drying of the berries, spreading them on a clean surface in one layer.
• In boxes with a volume of up to 2 liters and at a temperature of 00C, the crop can be stored for a month or more.
• Berries, packed in plastic bags, and subject to the temperature regime of -20C, can be stored for up to 3 months.

You need to store berries in dishes made from natural materials.

Gooseberry is a vitamin-rich berry with excellent taste. But many gardeners refuse to plant these shrubs on their site precisely because of the problems of harvesting. However, if you study when it is time for gooseberries to ripen, and find the right methods for this, you can greatly facilitate the task.