There are few plants that thrive when planted in late autumn, but red, white and black currants do. The weather is likely to be wetter and there is still enough warmth in the soil to encourage the plants to grow some roots before winter.
There is a difference in the way the different types of currants are planted. Red and white currants are planted with a “leg” or stem showing beneath the branches, while black currants are planted lower than they were growing in the nursery, so that all the stems arise directly from the soil.
How do you choose one color over another? Here is what Wikipedia says about the tastes of the three colors: “The tart flavor of red currant fruit is slightly greater than its black currant relative, but with approximate sweetness. White currants have the same tart flavor but greater sweetness.”
Red and white currants have nice compact bushes and also can be trained as cordons against a wall or fence. Black currants are bigger, up to six feet tall.
All currants produce best when grown in full sun, but black currants will do just fine in light shade. Do not plant black currants if there are white pine trees anywhere in the vicinity. White pine blister rust is a disease that attacks both black currants and white pines, and needs both species in close proximity to complete its life cycle.
Red currants require lots of potassium so they need extra feeding each spring.
Browning leaf margins indicate a potassium deficiency. To remedy that, spray the leaves with liquid seaweed. Black currants need extra nitrogen. Apply two handfuls of blood, fish and bone meal in early spring. If growth is poor, give the plants more fertilizer in early summer.
Pruning is not difficult, but is different for each type of currant. There isn’t adequate space here for instructions, so consult a good pruning handbook, or ask at the nursery where you buy your plants.
I’ve not grown black or white currants, but have had a ‘Red Lake’ red currant for many years. The berries begin ripening in July and I pick the ripe ones each day for a week or so until I have the four cups I need to make my dad a currant pie for his early July birthday. Later in July and well into August, picking is easier when all the currants are ripe and they can be pulled from the branches by the handful. Another way to harvest is to cut sprigs from the bush and remove the individual currants from the sprigs with a fork.
Fresh currants do not store very long, but they can be spread on a cookie sheet and frozen and then placed in freezer bags. They can also be canned.
Currants are very high in vitamin C, and are rich in iron, phosphorus, potassium and fiber. They make delicious pies and jams and are great eaten fresh from the bush.
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