No I haven’t changed career to work in a pub nor have I turned to a life of crime. Yet.
I’m talking about the need to protect my precious fruit bushes from intruders of the flutery-feathery kind. I’ve lost entire crops in previous years to our sweet-toothed avian friends, I think the sparrows in particular like them. Well so do I my friends!
So they are behind bars for their own protection. Well bars might be a bit of an exaggeration; netvyting slung over and loosely pegged down to be more precise.
Red Currants – with sun and warmth and yes rain, they are starting to fatten and ripen up. Not long now.
They look wonderful! We’ve a bit of sun today, so yippee for us!
The sun and warmth was wonderful wasn’t it. We sat outside for lunch, admittedly with me in a long sleeved t-shirt, but it was still warmth enough. Bliss!
I Netted the black currants a couple of years ago, only to have to untangle a dead catbird from it several days later…I’m sharing, until I can get a cage built over them!
Good luck with your harvest! The blacks are coloring-up now, and the reds can’t be far behind!
That is the danger isn’t it Marie. I don’t think any birds could get into the netting, well I’m hoping not. The rest of the fruit is on the allotment and is under ‘enviromesh’ which birds can’t get tangled up in. It’s also interesting to see how far behind the allotment fruit is, I have a few currant bushes, gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries up there, all fairly newly planted so I think next year will be better. Ah, a waiting game!
The birds have dined well on my dad’s grapes over the years so I can sympathize with your attempts to save your lovely red currants. Best of luck.
It was the squirrels who went for my grapes in London, they ate the lot!
Fed could use your help on Mex/US border.
he, he, he Carl !!
What very cool shots of the net.. hope it works, I need to net the rabbits!!! c
Thanks Celi, I am now imagining rabbits in nets – you know those old string shopping bags, that’s what I have in mind! Fortunately I don’t have problems with rabbits but a friend a couple of miles away does regular battle with them, so I do sympathise.
kind of like me and the wild blackberries, it’s always a race as to who gets there first, me or the birdies!
One of the reasons I love my plot so much is that one side is bordered with blackberry bushes – the down side is they sucker and try and take over my plot, the upside, well that is obvious! I just love blackberry season, reminds me of childhood and going for walks to pick them.
Thanks for the timely reminder to protect the strawberries.
Yes I netted mine the other day, I saw a bit of slug/snail munching had gone on so I need to put some more straw down too!
Thanks again!
Oh currants! Can’t wait to see what you do with them. Well, I mean, I know I have to wait, but…
Good luck, Claire! I hope the netting works for you and, like Sharyn, I can’t wait to see what you’ll prepare with your currants! I’m gearing up for this year’s battle with a raccoon family that loves my tomatoes. The fight won’t start for weeks yet but I have to figure out something to keep them away.
i betthe currants would be divine with your Mascarpone!
Raccoons, now that is something I fortunately don’t have to deal with, but I imagine they are quite strong and agile so would be tricky to deter. Hope you win the battle John!!
Great shot! It´s too hot here for fruits like that, so I shall have to try and enjoy some when I am in the UK!
You know Tanya, until I started reading your blog I realise I really didn’t have much of a clue about Spain, and today, I’ve yet again learn’t something new – that it is too hot for currants. Hope you get some in the UK
As always a brilliant photo! Hope you can enjoy a sweet reward soon.
Mandy
Thank you Mandy, just a bit more warmth and sunshine and we’ll be tucking in
They do look juicy! I need to protect my strawberries as well, I just know the slugs are biding time.
I’ve seen some slug evidence on my strawberries already – so I need to get some more straw to raise them up – that and a dry period would help discourage them!!
What a beautiful shot of currants behind bars! I don’t have too many garden intruders beyond bugs, so I think I’m probably fortunate there. Then again, I don’t have any berries, which I’m sure would be vulnerable! You can see by the comments that we are all salivating!
Debra
You’re salivating Debra, what do you think I’m doing ?!
It’s a waiting game that right now is testing my patience
We netted our cherries and got a great result. The nets are worth doing, just not very pretty…
You are so right they are not pretty at all, but do work. I’m looking for a cherry tree – a dwarf one, fairly cheap for my plot as I adore fresh cherries, they are just coming into season here in the shops. Yippeee!
And great news about your productive trees, I’m wondering if they get more productive as they get older?
Our stone-fruit trees seem to get more productive as they get older, but they are still pretty young. They will certainly get bigger.
Protective Custody–a noble concept!
How long before they’re out on probation?
Speaking of birds, maggie saw a most upsetting event at the beach last week….wierdly, our beaches are home to HUGE crows, (up north that wasn’t the case…tons of seagulls, no crows)
As she emerged from the path to the sand, she saw an enormous crow rooting around and pecking into turtle eggs!!! Two were already destroyed, but the third was (as yet) unharmed, She reburied it, but I imagine the chance it will live is slim, at best
Survival is tough, Clare! You’re helping the currants even the odds!
They are behined bars for their own good!! Well actually mine
Crows are such clever birds and I guess they see it as prey, but what a tragic thing to witness! And talking of Seagulls we have our fair share here in Hastings
Oh dear Claire, I hope it works… You are amazing. Wonderful photograph… At first I didn’t understand why but when I read you, yes.
Thank you dear, have a nice day, with my love, nia
Let’s hope it works Nia, then I’ll be able to share the bounty here
Love the photo and the currants!
Thanks Stacey, I’m presuming you have a few fruit bushes on the go?!
Claire, I rarely get my share of the black raspberries and huckleberries here, but I love the birds they attract, so I remain philosophical and ready at a moment to pick before stolen! Perhaps because they grow wild here; I do fight the chipmunks for the tomatoes, though!
Black raspberries sound interesting, I’ve seen and eaten yellow ones before.
I share the blackberries that grow as hedging on my plot with the birds, so I understand what you mean.
I’m so pleased I don’t have to deal with Chipmunks as well
If it keeps the birds away, then behind bars it is!
Totally!!
This idea sure beats making scarecrows by hand or maybe you have a few of these as well?
Ha! I’ve never made a scarecrow, but I have seen some great photos of them on plots before. Now are you putting ideas into my head BAM?!
Wow, that’s the first time I’ve seen them on the vine! Hope you have a bumper crop
I’ll confess here and now, this plant is in a pot in the garden and desparately needs potting on or planting out properly, I’m sure if I did so I’d get more fruit. But hopefully there will be some for us to enjoy
a well known problem. beautiful fruit, your getting
Thank you Shimon, small and tasty, and considering the price of them in the shops a great value crop to grow at home.
What lovely blushing berries! Oh dear, now I want currants too!
LOL. One of my daughters calls herself a fruititarian
If you ever do cherries, you’ll need to check out my cherry sorbet recipe (friends with cherry trees) at: http://artofnaturalliving.com/2011/07/24/soooo-easy-freezer-sorbet/
A most beautiful photo. The colors are so luscious and vibrant! The almost translucent berry is magical.
Thank you Deb, let’s hope they taste as sweet as they look. We had some warmth and sun ove rthe last couple of days which has helped them on their merry way!
I know what you mean about plants in captivity — I’ve had to cage in all of our veg beds to keep the chickens out. It can seem a bit funny at times to be fencing plants in, but needs must!
Fencing plants in or fencing animals out? Either way it is for our benefit that we grow these sweet treats
Birds do like their berries. The turkeys that visit my orchard every day happen to be crazy about blueberries.
So Turkey’s are blueberry fans, who’d have thought! I noticed last year the sparrows left the blueberries alone and only devoured the currants, I don’t know why but I was happy with my blueberries
They are beautiful with their blush of rose.
They are pretty aren’t they – a few days of warmer weather and they are deepening to a red. Not long now!
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