Berry disappointing – again

Yesterday there were dozens of blueberries waiting to be picked on this bush.

Today there are none. The bush is in a raised bed with a netted frame, so not birds or slugs. I did not get up in the middle of the night to sleep walk my way to the garden. So, what (or rather who) the fuck nobbled my blueberries?

In case you’ve forgotten, back in May I went to the garden shop and “left an hour later with two flowering-abundantly blueberry bushes (Hurrah! Blueberries for sure, at least this year.) and two regular and one black raspberry plants, and a black raspberry plant.”

All very promising.

Unfortunately, only one of the new blueberry bushes actually produced fruit (now gone). Nor did the other, older three blueberry bushes produce a single flower, let alone any fruit.

One of the new raspberry plants is producing nicely. The only thing the other raspberry plant is producing is dead leaves. As for the black raspberry, no sign of flowers or fruit, but at least the leaves aren’t dying. Be thankful for small mercies, I suppose.

Oh, look!

There are two – count ’em – two! pink gooseberries. (Okay, one’s still green, but it will ripen.) Time to make a pie.

This is not the first summer I’ve been berry disappointed. It’s one in a long list of summers.

It always starts well. The strawberries always come through for me – lovely, delicious, super ripe, delightful strawberries.

It also usually ends well with the wild blackberry in the corner of the garden producing so much fruit some years I’m still eating the frozen blackberries in February. Unlike all the other berries, I have never watered, fed or in any other way tended this blackberry bush. The only attention I ever give it is an annual prune. One year some bastard pilfered all the ones hanging over the fence when I wasn’t looking, but otherwise no complaints. (And that was hardly the bush’s fault. Bastard.)

Looks promising, doesn’t it? Lots of berries coming along. But here’s the thing: there’s only about half the new growth there normally is. I don’t know why. I didn’t prune it any more severely than I normally do. Half the growth = half the berries. Possibly not even enough to freeze, certainly not enough to last until February.

As I said, not the first time I’ve been berry disappointed. It is, however, the first time dozens of blueberries have disappeared overnight. (Seriously, what the fuck?)

When do you actually just give up?