Currants (Ribes spp.) grow easily from seed but they need special treatment or you’ll be looking at bare soil and no seedlings indefinitely. Currants grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. In warmer climates, plant currant bushes in a cool spot with northern exposure.
How do you start currants from seeds?
Seeds can be sown at any time of the year into a sandy compost and covered thinly with sand or grit. No artificial heat is needed. The seed tray is best left in a cool spot and kept moist. Seeds generally germinate in the spring whenever they are sown but odd ones may come up at any time.
Is it hard to grow currants?
Red currants are easy to grow, making them well suited to home gardens. A lonely red currant bush under the apple tree next door showed me currants are a perfect fruit for home gardens. That forlorn currant bush had been untended for years, growing in shade and heavy clay soil.
How long does it take to grow currants?
1 to 3 years
Expect to get fruit 1 to 3 years after planting. Remember, gooseberry bushes are spiny and will become dense thickets without regular pruning.
How long does it take to grow black currant from seed?
Blackcurrants propagate reliably from both seeds and hardwood cuttings. However, the seed-grown shrubs take two to three years to bear fruit, whereas cutting propagated specimens begin to produce berries in just one to two years, if grown under moist, lightly shaded conditions.
Do currants produce fruit in first year?
One-year-old shoots are the most productive. Two-year-old wood will produce some fruit but older wood becomes non-productive, so each year some stems need to be removed to make space for younger ones. While winter is the usual time for pruning, smart gardeners can actually start the process early, at harvesting time.
Do currants need a trellis?
In Wisconsin and adjacent states, currants and gooseberries (two closely related fruit crops) are generally grown without trellises, as extension publications recommend.
Why was currant farming banned?
The nutrient-rich berries were banned in 1911 because they were thought to produce a fungus that could damage pine trees. As new disease-resistant berries were produced and new ways to prevent the fungus from damaging timber were developed, some states started to lift the ban in 2003.
Why is it against the law to grow currants?
In 1911, a federal ban made it illegal to grow all Ribes, including currants and gooseberries, because these plants served as an intermediary host of white pine blister rust.
Where is growing currants illegal?
Current restrictions
State laws are enforced with varying degrees of efficiency and enthusiasm; in some states, officials effectively ignore the ban. Nationally, a prohibition on the import of blackcurrant plants from Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and several EU countries remains.
Can currants grow in pots?
Container Growing Currants
Plant currants in pots 12 to 18 inches wide and deep or wider; currant roots do not grow deep. Currant roots do not mind growing in a tight space. Plant currants in an organic potting mix. Keep the soil evenly moist; feed plants an all-purpose fertilizer.
Is it illegal to grow red currants?
The federal ban was lifted in 1966, but several northern states continued to prohibit the cultivation of such berries until the early twenty-first century.
Do currants spread?
Some currant shrubs, like the clove currant, tend to spread underground and can send up shoots several feet away. Propagate other varieties from cuttings of year-old stems. If you purchased your currants from a nursery or garden catalog, you may have one or two-year-old plants, to begin with.
Can you grow blackcurrants in pots?
Blackcurrants generally don’t perform well in containers long term, due to their size and growing habit. But if you are short on space, they should be fine for a few years, especially more compact cultivars such as ‘Ben Sarek’ and ‘Ben Gairn’. If they start to underperform, transplant them into the ground.
Do you need 2 blackcurrant bushes to produce fruit?
Just one plant can provide a generous crop of berries. If blackcurrant bushes are kept well fed and watered you could be harvesting fruit a year after planting.
Do black currants spread?
Shallow cultivation works best. This currant does not spread by suckering. Plants begin fruiting after three years. Insects and disease are not a serious problem.
Are currants poisonous to dogs?
Grapes, raisins, sultanas, and Zante currants are all considered toxic to dogs, cats, and ferrets. They can cause fatal kidney failure. Common symptoms of ingestion include lack of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Do currants need full sun?
3. Choose a place with enough sun. Currants yield their sweetest fruit crop in a full sun environment, but unlike most fruiting plants, they also tolerate partial shade conditions as well.
What fruit turns into currants?
grapes
Currants, also known as “Zante currants,” are tiny, dried grapes. Despite their name, currants are actually made by drying a variety of small, seedless grapes called “Black Corinth” and “Carina.” Currants are dried for up to three weeks.
Are currants invasive?
Ribes rubrum (Red Currant) is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. According to the U.S Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species, and for 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species.
Can you eat currants raw?
You can eat currants raw, but black currants, especially, are quite tart. Adding a bit of sugar or cooking the berries into jams, jellies, or sauces can help offset the tartness (but will also affect their nutritional profile). You can use currants in desserts instead of other berries.