At a glance
Blackcurrants are one of the most rewarding soft fruits for UK gardeners. They are fully hardy, productive from their second year, tolerant of heavier soils and partial shade, and the fruit – intensely flavoured, packed with vitamin C and versatile in the kitchen – is far superior fresh from the garden to anything available in supermarkets. A mature blackcurrant bush in a good year will yield 4-5kg of fruit, enough for jam, cordial, crumbles and freezer bags that will last well into the following year.
They are also genuinely easy to grow once the pruning method is understood. Unlike more complex pruning regimes for apples and pears, blackcurrant pruning follows a simple principle – remove the oldest wood each year to keep the bush producing vigorous young shoots – that takes perhaps 20 minutes per bush and significantly improves yields when done correctly. Alongside blackcurrants, growing redcurrants provides a complementary soft fruit with a different flavour profile and slightly different growing requirements.
Why grow blackcurrants
The flavour argument is the strongest reason. Supermarket blackcurrants – where available at all – are picked before full ripeness for transport durability and have little of the depth and intensity of fully ripe home-grown fruit. Fresh blackcurrants straight from the bush have a complex, almost resinous flavour that makes outstanding jam, cordial and desserts and is entirely different from anything that comes from a packet.
They are also excellent value in terms of yield per square metre. A mature bush takes up approximately 1.5 square metres of ground but produces substantially more fruit per unit of space than most other garden crops. Combined with their tolerance of partial shade and heavier soils, they are genuinely versatile in garden positioning – a north-facing border that grows little else well can produce a respectable blackcurrant crop.
Best varieties
The Ben series varieties dominate UK blackcurrant growing for good reason – they were bred specifically for UK conditions with disease resistance, frost-hardy flowers and high productivity. Ben Connan is the best choice for smaller gardens due to its compact habit. Ben Hope is the most reliable all-rounder for most UK conditions.
Planting blackcurrants
Plant bare-root blackcurrants from November to March. The key difference between blackcurrant planting and most other fruit bushes is that they should be planted deep – approximately 5cm deeper than they were previously growing. This encourages the plant to produce multiple stems from below soil level, creating the open bush structure that maximises fruit production and makes pruning straightforward. Plant at the correct depth and the bush will naturally develop the right shape over its first few years.
After planting, cut all stems back to 2-3 buds above ground level. This hard initial pruning sacrifices the first year’s fruit but produces a much stronger, better-shaped bush from year two. Space plants 1.5 metres apart in rows 1.8 metres apart. Blackcurrants tolerate most soils but prefer moisture-retentive, fertile conditions. Incorporate generous amounts of compost or well-rotted manure into the planting hole and mulch well after planting to retain moisture.
Care through the season
Blackcurrants are hungry plants and reward feeding generously. Apply a high-potassium fertiliser such as sulphate of potash in late winter before the buds break, and follow with a balanced general fertiliser in spring. Mulch heavily around the base of the bush each spring with well-rotted compost or manure – this feeds the soil, retains moisture and suppresses weeds simultaneously. Keep well-watered during dry spells, particularly while fruit is developing in June and July, as water stress at this stage significantly reduces berry size and yield.
Blackcurrants flower early in spring and the blossoms are vulnerable to late frosts. In frost-prone gardens or during a cold spring, covering the bush overnight with horticultural fleece when frost is forecast protects the flowers and preserves the crop. A single sharp frost at flowering can eliminate the entire season’s harvest, so this simple precaution is worth taking seriously in April and early May.
Pruning blackcurrants
Blackcurrants fruit best on one and two-year-old wood. The pruning objective is to remove old wood each year to keep the bush producing the vigorous young shoots that carry the best fruit. In winter, after the leaves have fallen, remove approximately one third of the oldest stems – those that are darkest and woodiest – cutting them to ground level. Leave the younger, lighter-coloured stems to fruit the following season.
Over three to four years this rotation removes all the old wood and keeps the bush permanently supplied with productive young growth. Well-pruned blackcurrant bushes can remain productive for fifteen to twenty years. Unpruned bushes become increasingly congested, with most energy going into old unproductive wood, and yields decline significantly after five to six years without intervention.
Harvesting
Blackcurrants ripen in July and August, turning from red to deep black as they mature. The whole truss does not ripen at once – individual berries within a cluster ripen at slightly different rates. Wait until the majority of berries on a truss are fully black before harvesting the whole cluster rather than picking individual berries, which is time-consuming and impractical at scale.
Blackcurrants are tart when eaten fresh – most people find them more palatable cooked or processed into jam and cordial where sugar balances the acidity. They freeze exceptionally well stripped from the stem, keep for up to a year in the freezer and can be used straight from frozen in most recipes.
Common problems
Big bud mite is the most serious blackcurrant pest in the UK. Infested buds swell to a rounded, ball-like shape rather than the normal pointed form, and infected plants spread the reversion virus which gradually reduces yields until the bush is unproductive. There is no treatment – remove and destroy affected plants and do not replant blackcurrants in the same ground for several years. Buying certified disease-free stock from reputable suppliers significantly reduces the risk of introducing the problem.
Powdery mildew can affect leaves and young shoots in dry summers, causing a white powdery coating. Ben Hope has good mildew resistance. Increase watering during dry spells and improve air circulation through the centre of the bush by removing crossing stems. Birds are drawn to ripening fruit just as they are to other soft fruit – netting is the only reliable protection, and a permanent fruit cage covering blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes together makes the most efficient use of netting material.
Share on socials:
