Intro
Currants or fruiting Ribes are one of the easiest fruits to grow and have a wide range of uses from fresh eating to juices, jams jellies, glazes, cakes and pies.
Currants, especially Black Currants are very high in vitamins and antioxidants.
There are a number of varieties of Black, White, Red and now a lovely Pink Currant.
History
Black currants were an important medicine for many First Nations people for centuries. There are descriptions of black currants in the 1400’s and were found in the European medicinal plant books in the 1600’s. While they were praised for their medicinal and ornamental use they did not become a popular garden berry plant until the early 2000’s.
Red and white currants were accepted into European gardens as berry plants in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s. They gained more popularity in the late 1800 and early 1900’s and many more cultivars were developed and introduced into European and North American gardens.
Most currants had fallen out of favour in North America until quite recently as they were an alternate host to White Pine blister rust which did not affect the currants but did affect the white pine which was an important part of the lumber industry and they became illegal to plant in many states of the US and some areas in Canada. They are now coming back in favour because of their high vitamin content and ease of planting and are no longer banned in Canada and most parts of the US (though rules vary from state to state).
Planting
Black, white, red and pink currants all thrive in a full sun (at least 6 hours) position with average well draining silty loam soil. A good berry or all purpose fertilizer applied under the dripline in spring will get your plants off to an excellent start. They appreciate good open position with lots of air movement as this will help maintain healthy leaves. A composted mulch applied to about 2 inches in depth around the drip line but not touching the plant will help your plant maintain moisture in the driest times. Currants are hardy to about zone 4 and once established are quite drought tolerant.
Container
Currants can be easily grown in containers and are happy to share their space with herbs or smaller plants. Ensure the container drains freely and make sure you add compost each year and fertilize.
Pruning
As with blueberries, your aim with pruning currants is to remove any dead, damaged or diseased branches at any time of year. Dormant season pruning is done to encourage invigoration of the plant. Remember the 1/3 rule. Never remove more than 1/3 of your plant at one pruning session. Remove a few of the oldest canes right to the base so that the new canes have a bit more room and food. This way you are always encouraging new growth. You can espalier currants, though I find it easier and more productive to grow as an open vase shaped shrub. Ideally you want to keep it at about 8 to 9 canes per bush.
Pollination
Almost all currants are self fruitful and do not need a second plant as a pollinizer. Their flower clusters are produced at the base of 1 year old stems and on fruit spurs on older branches. Clove scented flowers produced on many of the black currants are wonderfully fragrant and are well loved by many different species of native bees as are the intriguing flower clusters of the red, white and pink varieties.