Ribes nigrum
Everything you need to grow blackcurrants in Scotland, from an October planting of a bare-root bush to a basket of dark glossy fruit in July. We have done the research so you don't have to.
Blackcurrants are the easiest soft fruit to grow. A bush planted in decent soil and pruned once a year will fruit heavily for a decade or more. Scotland is where the UK's blackcurrant breeding happens. The James Hutton Institute in Dundee has been breeding currants since the 1950s, and every commercial Ben variety, Ben Connan, Ben Hope, Big Ben, carries the name of a Scottish mountain. That provenance is something to know, not something to rely on. Hutton breeds for the commercial juice industry, not home gardens. But the traits the programme selects for, disease resistance, frost-resistant flowers, uniform ripening, are the traits a home grower wants.
Why blackcurrants suit Scotland
Modern blackcurrant varieties have been bred to flower later, and these are a better choice in cold locations. Scotland is a cold location. Frost at flowering time reduces the crop, and a bush whose flowers open after the last frost has cleared the main risk without a fleece. The modern Ben varieties also ripen the whole bunch of currants at once. You cut the entire cluster with scissors, rather than picking individual berries one by one. A compact modern variety yields about 4.5kg of fruit from a single bush.
Varieties
The Ben series was bred at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland: genuine provenance, though heritage rather than a guarantee of garden performance. Several Ben varieties also carry the RHS Award of Garden Merit, a UK-wide award, not a Scottish one.
★ Our pick for Scotland
Ben ConnanAGM
Compact · mid-season
Bred at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland. Large tasty berries on compact plants. Resistant to mildew, frost and gall midge.
Why this one: Bred at the James Hutton Institute and carrying an AGM. Compact, resistant to mildew and gall midge, and produces large tasty berries. Hutton breeding provenance is a cited fact, not a Scottish recommendation. But a compact bush with frost-resistant flowers and modern uniform-ripening clusters makes harvesting a quick process: cut the whole bunch rather than picking individual currants, which is what you want from a fruit bush that can yield 4.5kg at a time.
Also worth considering
Ben HopeAGM
Mid to late season
High resistance to blackcurrant gall mite (Ce gene), the vector for reversion virus. Also resistant to mildew and leaf spot.
Big BenAGM
Early season
Bred at the James Hutton Institute. Very large fruit on a compact plant. Suits small gardens.
Show other recommended varieties (2)
Ben SarekAGM
Compact · early
Good frost resistance. Heavy crops of large fruits on short clusters. Compact variety for containers.
Ben GairnAGM
Compact · early
Bred for resistance to blackcurrant reversion virus.
Soil and site
Blackcurrants want well-drained but moisture-retentive soil. They will cope in most soil conditions. Full sun gives the best crop, but they will still fruit in light shade. Avoid sites prone to cold winds or late frosts, which can damage the flowers and reduce the crop. If you have room, a fruit cage solves the bird problem permanently.
No special soil preparation is needed. If your soil is light or poor, dig a bucketful of garden compost or well-rotted manure into the planting hole. After planting, spread a thick mulch over the surrounding soil to hold moisture and suppress weeds.
Planting
Plant during the dormant season, from late October to March, avoiding periods when the soil is frozen or waterlogged. Buy FPCS-certified virus-free plants. Bare-root plants are cheaper and available from specialist fruit nurseries between October and March. Container-grown plants are available year-round.
Dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the rootball and spread the roots out. Plant blackcurrants 5cm deeper than they were previously growing: look for the soil mark on the stem. Deeper planting encourages strong new shoots from the base each year, which is what keeps a bush productive. Space plants 1.5 to 1.8m apart, using the wider spacing for vigorous varieties. Firm in well and water thoroughly.
After planting, prune every stem down to one or two buds above ground level. This looks brutal and means no fruit in the first year, but the plant responds by sending up strong new shoots from below the soil. These are the stems that will carry heavy crops in years two and three.
Watering and care
Water newly planted bushes regularly during dry spells in their first couple of years. Once established, blackcurrants in the ground should not need routine watering. Container plants need a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season, but avoid heavy watering while the fruits are ripening, since it can cause the skins to split.
Mulch each spring with a thick layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure, leaving a small gap around the base of the stems. Regularly mulched bushes should not need additional feeding. If growth is poor, apply a balanced granular fertiliser in early spring. Container plants benefit from a high-potassium liquid feed every fortnight during the growing season.
Pruning established bushes (aged four years and older): every winter, remove up to a third of the oldest stems by cutting them right down to the base. The oldest stems are darker and thicker, and you will need loppers or a pruning saw. New shoots will sprout from the base in spring. These young stems fruit heavily for several years, after which they become the old wood you remove next. A bush kept this way maintains six to ten upright stems of different ages, and crops heavily every year.
Protection: cover bushes with netting before the fruit starts to ripen. Blackcurrants are among the fruits birds will strip first. Make sure the netting is taut so birds do not get tangled. If frost is forecast while the bushes are in flower, cover them overnight with fleece raised on canes and remove it in the morning so pollinators can reach the flowers.
Harvesting
Blackcurrants ripen from midsummer onwards. With modern varieties like Ben Connan, Ben Hope and Big Ben, the whole bunch of currants ripens at the same time. Cut the entire cluster with scissors once the currants turn black. Older varieties ripen less uniformly, so pick individual berries starting from the top of the bunch. Handle them gently. The juice stains everything. An established bush yields about 4.5kg. Eat within a few days or freeze them: blackcurrants freeze well raw or cooked.
Common problems
- Big bud mite causes buds to swell abnormally in winter and fail to open in spring. The mites also spread reversion virus, which is incurable. Remove and destroy affected buds or whole bushes. Ben Hope carries genetic resistance (the Ce gene), but resistance is not immunity.
- Reversion virus is the most damaging blackcurrant disease. It is spread by big bud mite and causes leaves to become narrow and distorted, with reduced cropping. There is no cure. Remove infected bushes. Buy certified virus-free stock. Ben Gairn was bred for resistance.
- Leaf spot causes brown spots on the leaves in summer. Modern varieties carry resistance. Good airflow around bushes reduces the risk.
- Powdery mildew appears as a white coating on leaves and shoots. Modern varieties like Ben Connan are resistant. Prune for an open bush with good airflow.
- Birds will strip the fruit. Netting. No substitute.
Common questions
Why are blackcurrants associated with Scotland?
The James Hutton Institute in Dundee runs the UK's blackcurrant breeding programme. Every Ben-named variety, Ben Connan, Ben Hope, Big Ben, was bred here. The programme supplies commercial growers, and several varieties are licensed exclusively to Ribena. Hutton provenance is cited heritage, not a guarantee of Scottish garden performance. But several Ben varieties carry an AGM, and the traits the programme selects for, disease resistance, uniform ripening, frost-resistant flowers, are the traits a home gardener wants.
How do I prune blackcurrants?
Blackcurrants fruit best on young wood made in the previous few years. Every winter, remove up to a third of the oldest stems (they are darker, thicker, and less productive), cutting them right down to the base. This sounds drastic but it works. New shoots will sprout from the base each spring, and these will carry the heaviest crops in their second and third years. After planting a new bush, prune every stem down to one or two buds above ground level. You will not get fruit in the first year, but the plant will build a strong framework of stems for years of heavy cropping.
How do I stop birds eating my blackcurrants?
Netting over the bushes, taut and securely fastened, put up before the fruit starts to colour. Blackcurrants are among the fruits birds target most aggressively. A fruit cage is the permanent solution if you grow several fruit bushes. Remove netting after harvesting.
Do blackcurrants grow in containers?
For a few years, with a compact variety like Ben Sarek or Ben Gairn. Use a pot at least 45cm wide and deep, filled with soil-based compost. Container plants need regular watering and fortnightly liquid feeding through the growing season. Repot into a larger container every few years, or top-dress by replacing the top layer of compost. Long-term, blackcurrants do better in the ground.
How much fruit will I get from one bush?
An established bush should produce about 4.5kg of currants. Modern varieties like Ben Connan ripen the whole bunch at once, so you can cut entire clusters with scissors rather than picking individual berries. That is an evening's harvesting for a year's supply of jam and crumbles.
Sources
2 sources, and what each was used for
- RHS: Oct-Mar dormant planting, 1.5-1.8m spacing, fruiting on young wood, winter pruning of a third of oldest stems from year four, 4.5kg per bush, two years to first harvest, late-frost flower damage and late-flowering modern varieties, AGM varieties
- James Hutton Institute: Ben Connan/Ben Hope/Ben Gairn Hutton breeding provenance and cited disease-resistance traits (gall mite Ce gene, mildew, leaf spot, reversion virus, leaf-curling midge, compact habit)