Grow Your Own Magazine

I have just moved house and inherited a lovely little garden packed with fruit trees and bushes. Thus far I've harvested redcurrants, whitecurrants and plums. The problem is that a few of the bushes seem to have problems and me being new to gardening I'm not sure how to tackle them all, nor if they are all caused by the same pest. I think I have gooseberry sawfly as the redcurrant and whitecurrants were just dangling jewels on sticks, not a leaf in sight. I think there is a gooseberry bush, judging from the leaves and the little bud-like gooseberries - but they are not developing into gooseberries at all, some of the buds are enlarging slightly and turning purple with mold spots, others staying the same. Then there is the greengage tree - lots of the fruit fell before I realised it was greengages and not unripe plums (!) and know I'm wondering if they should have fallen so early (from July onwards) and if they have a pest too - there are lots still on the boughs that I can't reach that are turning brown and splitting. Or perhaps they are just overripe...

Besides this I have one successful plum tree, for which I'm thankful! There are two trees at the back which are supposed to be pear and apple, which are not fruiting, hopefully they are just resting...

All this in a little garden of a terraced house, the previous owners did great work to fit so much in!

All help appreciated.

Hi Earlydays & welcome to the vine. I think you're right in that your main problem seems to be gooseberry sawfly larvae which have attacked your currants & gooseberries & the problem on the gooseberry is probably mildew due the hot weather & maybe not being watered regularly with the house changing hands etc. I'd pick off any damaged fruits off your trees & shrubs, give everything a good feed & water & wait for next year when things will probably improve. If the plants are packed very closely together in a small garden they may need some pruning to get the air circulating also to prevent mildew & other diseases spreading but I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck with your new garden!

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Thanks SueA, that makes me feel much better and I'll do as you suggest; pick off the little purplised fruits off the gooseberry and wait for next year. Fingers crossed

Does anyone have any wisdom on when greengages should ripen?

Hi Early days, I'm no expert on greengages but they are similar to plums & should ripen around Sept.- early Oct. I think. It depends which variety you have & what you want to use them for. For eating they should be picked when juicy & a little soft but for cooking they can be picked when still fairly hard & green (or yellow if you have a yellow variety!)

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Into every life a little rain must fall.