Blackcurrant Bushes

Blackcurrants are a versatile and delicious fruit and you can grow them with ease in your own garden. Packed full of Vitamin C and other vitamins blackcurrants are great used in jams, desserts or eaten straight from the bush. Blackcurrant bushes also look great in the garden and can easily be grown in amongst other plants or in containers.

How to grow

Blackcurrants grow as a bush which will require little training and some annual pruning. By following a few simple rules even the most inexperienced of gardeners is sure to succeed with this plant.

Position

Blackcurrants fare well in both sun and partial shade. You should plant your bushes in an area that is sheltered from frost and cold winds, as late frosts early on in the season can cause flower drop and reduce the amount of fruit produced. You may wish to consider planting a hedge or installing some screening to protect plants.

Soil

The most important point when growing blackcurrants is to prepare the soil correctly. Like most fruit blackcurrants require a fertile and, more importantly, moist soil in order to produce plump and succulent fruit. To ensure that you can provide the correct conditions for your fruit bushes incorporate plenty of well-rotted garden compost or multi-purpose compost in to the planting hole to maximize water retention.

Care

Once planted your blackcurrant bushes will require regular watering and feeding with a well balanced fertilizer. Protection from plant pests may be necessary as birds and small mammals will often eat fruits. You should consider covering with netting or constructing a fruit cage to ensure you can enjoy a large crop of fruits.

Harvesting

Blackcurrants are ready to harvest when they are nearly pure black. If you intend to store your fruit for a period of time harvest on a dry day as this will ensure that fruit store for a longer period of time and don’t succumb to mold resulting from damp conditions. Alternatively you can freeze your blackcurrants.

Top Tip

As moisture is important to plants it is essential that water is not lost from the surrounding soil on hot days and throughout summer months. Mulch around your plants to conserve water and keep roots cool.

Blackcurrant

Dwarf shrub which grows to about 1.2m (4ft) tall, and has in-bred frost resistance and some mildew resistance. In mid-July a heavy crop of large blackcurrants are produced which are perfect for serving fresh or made into jams, jellies or pies. The fruit should be picked quickly before it falls. Garden care: Prepare the ground well before planting. Remove all weeds and dig in plenty of well-rotted manure in to the area. Once planted, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure every spring, as well as a nitrogen and potassium fertilizer. Make sure the plant is watered in dry weather and net the bushes to protect the fruit from birds. In the first year, prune back to one bud above soil level in winter. After that prune out weak branches only.

Blackcurrant Ben Connan

A heavy cropping, early to ripen, small bush variety, producing large 17mm (¾ inch) diameter glossy black fruits of excellent flavor. Ideal eaten as a dessert, used to make preserves and can be frozen. Excellent pest and disease resistance. Ready to harvest from mid July. Currants have a long cropping season, freeze well and are perfect for pies and jams. We supply established, healthy 1 year old bare root plants which are ready pruned, with a minimum of 4 stems which will quickly establish once planted. From the second season onwards each plant will produce over 3.5kg (over 7lb) of fruit and will keep producing for up to 10 years. Bred in Great Britain.

Blackcurrant Ben Sarek

A superb variety, producing mouth-watering fruit in abundance from mid July-mid August, well presented on short strings. Ideal for smaller gardens, with a maximum height of 90cm (3'), the bushy plants show good resistance to mildew and frost. Ideal for freezing. They prefer an open, sunny position, but will tolerate partial shade. Soil should be free draining. Dig over the ground in autumn and incorporate plenty of well rotted manure or compost. Recommended for deep freezing and are perfect for pies and jams or for garnishing and decorating desserts!

Blackcurrant Big Ben

This spectacular Scottish-bred blackcurrant has huge fruit - some double the size of other varieties - and is very high yielding too. The fruits are produced early in the season and are sweet and juicy. Good resistance to mildew and leaf spot.

Blackcurrant Ebony

The sweetest ever Blackcurrant! Outstanding dessert variety with a very high level of sweetness - giving a flavor that is as sweet as that of a tasty black cherry! The bushy plants have a slightly open, spreading habit which makes harvesting easy as well as adding to this variety's good mildew resistance. Heavy crops of large, firm currants - each one up to twice the size of a normal blackcurrant - are produced for harvesting from early-mid July.

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