🫐 Blackcurrant

Blackcurrants are exceptionally hardy and productive bushes, packed with vitamin C, giving heavy crops of glossy black berries from July. They thrive in the UK’s cool climate and tolerate some shade, and bushes crop reliably for 15 years or more.

They are simple to grow and prune, and the fruit is excellent for jam, cordials and desserts. Compact varieties such as Ben Sarek are suited to smaller plots and large pots.

Varieties to try

Ben Lomond (late flowering, frost-tolerant)Ben Sarek (compact, heavy cropper)Ben Connan (large berries, mildew-resistant)Big Ben (large, sweet berries)Titania (disease-resistant, late)

Plant bare-root bushes between November and March in a sunny or lightly shaded site with fertile, moisture-retentive soil, enriched with compost. Plant 5 cm deeper than they were in the nursery, as this encourages strong new shoots from the base.

Space bushes 1.5 m apart. After planting, cut all stems down to one bud above the ground; this feels drastic but promotes strong growth. Mulch generously and water in. No fruit will be borne in the first year, but crops begin in year two.

Top tips

• Plant deeper than in the nursery.
• Cut stems to one bud after planting.
• Enrich the soil with compost.
• Mulch generously.

Mulch every spring with compost and apply a nitrogen-rich feed such as chicken manure pellets. Water in dry spells while the fruit swells. Net the bushes against birds as the fruit ripens.

Prune in winter after fruiting: remove about a third of the oldest, darkest stems at ground level and cut out weak or low-lying growth, as blackcurrants fruit best on young wood. Big bud mite, which causes swollen buds, and reversion virus are the main problems. Pick off swollen buds in winter.

Top tips

• Remove a third of old stems each winter.
• Feed with nitrogen in spring.
• Pick off swollen buds.
• Net against birds.

Watch out for

Big bud miteBirdsAphidsLeaf spot and mildewFrost damage to flowers

Pick berries when fully black and slightly soft, usually in July and August, with the whole truss at once. Dessert varieties can be picked as they ripen; for jam, the whole strig can be cut off with scissors. Pick on a dry day.

Berries ripen over a couple of weeks, and the whole bush can be harvested in one or two sessions. Berries can be left on the bush for a short time, but birds will find them, so net them early.

Top tips

• Pick on a dry day.
• Cut whole trusses for speed.
• Net early.
• Wait until fully black.

Blackcurrants are tart and strongly flavoured, so they suit cooking more than eating raw. Make jam (they set well), cordial, crumbles, pies, compotes, sorbets and sauces, or the classic summer pudding. Add sugar to taste. Remove the ‘tops and tails’ if you like, though it is not strictly necessary for jam.

Fresh berries keep for a week in the fridge. They freeze brilliantly: strip from the truss with a fork, freeze on a tray, then bag, and use straight from frozen. Blackcurrant cordial can be frozen or bottled.

Top tips

• Strip from the truss with a fork.
• Freeze whole and cook from frozen.
• Make cordial for winter colds.
• Add sugar to taste.