Forum home› Fruit & veg

Do I need to net blackcurrants and respberries

Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,976
in Fruit & veg

I planted 15 raspberries (5 each early/mid/autumn) and 5 Ben Connan blackcurrant bushes over the winter.

I've been wondering how to keep the birds from harvesting the fruits of my labour, but will the bushes produce any fruit in their first year?
Or can I wait another year before I'll need to net them?
Thanks

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,976

    Thanks verd - I did cut all the stems to the ground and mulched the whole area with rotted manure when I planted them in Nov. and today just put a little bfb around them too.

    I'll not worry about netting this year and look forward to my bumper crop next year!

    Thanks again
    Pete

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,445

    I think the birds are drawn to reds. In my garden they eat, in order of preference, unripe blueberries (which are pink), redcurrants, strawberries, red raspberries, over ripe gooseberries. They rarely eat many blackcurrants (I get to them first). They don't seem to eat yellow raspberries. 

    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,976

    :) you must have some very healthy birds in your garden raisingirl

    Thanks for the tip

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.