Blackcurrants

For as long as we've been in this house - nearly 35 years - we've had two blackcurrant bushes growing towards the back of the section by our neighbour's fence.  Year in and year out they've provided us with plenty of blackcurrants around this time of the year; usually we pick the currants just after Christmas.

Most strangely, last year, we had no more than half a dozen blackcurrants on the main bush and none on the lesser bush.  It was a bit of a puzzle, but who knows why a blackcurrant bush would take a sabbatical from producing fruit?  I guess there could be a perfectly normal explanation, something that gardeners who know everything about their garden would be able to understand.  Not being such people, we were at a bit of a loss.

However, this year, the blackcurrant bushes have well and truly made up for last year's lack.  I picked a  bowlful before we went to Christchurch, on the 22nd of December, and yesterday I sat out there and picked two more bowls' worth.  Another two bowlfuls this morning.  Not only is there an abundance of fruit, but many of the currants are big and juicy, more than they usually are.  (It could be that in the past we've picked them earlier, which might explain this aspect of the growth.)

Ah, the joys of gardening.  Last year we planted several potatoes that refused to come up in any way.  This year they seem to be back to normal.  And the coriander has gone wild as well.  Obviously there's been the right combination of sun and shower this time round.  Certainly the weeds would indicate that!