Currants: Everything from planting to harvest

Currants should not be missing in any garden. Here you can find out what needs to be considered when planting, caring for and harvesting.

Currants (Ribes) growing in your own garden is worthwhile for several reasons: in the supermarket or even on the They are rarely available at the weekly market and if they do, the quality often leaves something to be desired left over. However, currants taste best fresh - then their valuable vitamin C has not yet evaporated. In addition, currants really don't do a lot of work and make us happy for many years. We'll tell you how to plant currants correctly and what you need to consider when cutting, fertilizing and the like.

Currants: characteristics and origin

Currants are part of the gooseberry family and originally come from Central and Northeastern Europe. Your name probably comes from St. June falls and thus roughly coincides with the ripening of the currants. The deciduous shrubs reach a height of one to a maximum of two meters, depending on the variety.

The berries, which can be harvested between June and August depending on the variety, grow on grapes. Compared to Raspberries (Rubus idaeus, Aggregate drupes) or Strawberries (Fragaria, Common nuts) are the fruits of the white (Ribes sativa), red (Ribes robrus) and also the black currant (Ribesnigrum) real berries.

Currant species and varieties: overview

Currants are distinguished by their color - there are red, white and black specimens. The different colored currants vary in their ingredients and therefore also in taste. Below is a brief overview of the different types of currant, as well as some of the best varieties of each.

• Red currants: Highest content of fruit acids compared to white and black currants; Taste usually sweet and sour to sour; are consumed fresh, as juice, jam or as cake; the best varieties are a matter of taste - we recommend, for example, 'Jonkheer van Tets' and 'Rotet'.
• White currants: They are somewhat milder and sweeter than red currants; very much appreciated for processing into berry wine; proven varieties are, for example, 'White Versailles', 'Primus' and 'Witte von Huismann'.
• Black currants: They are consumed fresh less often, although they contain five times as much vitamin C as white or red currants; Because of their bitter taste, they are often made into jellies, juices or dessert wines; We have had very good experiences with the varieties 'Bona' and 'Ometa' in the garden.

There are also currants (Ribes sanguinum). However, these are grown as ornamental plants and not for consumption. Your few fruits have hardly any aroma. While they are not poisonous, they are not suitable for consumption. Because of their beautiful spring blooms, blood currants are still popular. For example, 'Snowflame' is a nice variety.

A bigger overview with our loved ones Currant varieties we have compiled for you here.

Buy currants or propagate them yourself?

Currant bushes can be purchased in hardware stores, garden shops and also on the Internet. If you don't want to buy new plants, you can also propagate your currant plants yourself. However, a little patience is required before the delicious fruits are harvested for the first time.

Buy currants: this is important to note

If you choose healthy plants of a robust, rainproof variety when buying currants, you can save yourself a lot of work later. Because as a rule, these plants are attacked less often by diseases. Basically, it is worthwhile to think about which currant varieties are suitable for your own garden before buying. After all, there are many criteria to consider, from taste to harvest time, fruit size or color to resistance to various diseases.

Propagate currants yourself

The easiest way to propagate currants yourself is by cuttings. The mother plant is effectively cloned, so the cuttings belong to the same variety as the mother plant. Correctly, these are more cuttings, as the shoots for propagation are usually much more lignified than herbaceous cuttings.

The propagation of currants with cuttings in a nutshell:

• Cut 20 cm long cuttings with at least 2 - 3 eyes
• Prepare a nutrient-rich, humus-rich growing bed or pot
• Insert cuttings so that at least 2 eyes still look out of the earth; make sure that the buds point upwards
• Water sufficiently and keep moist for a few weeks
• When the first shoots are 5 - 10 cm tall, the tips of the shoots are cut off
• After 6 - 12 months, transplant to a larger pot or to its final location
• First harvest around 3 years

A detailed guide to the Propagation of currants from cuttings You will find here.

Planting currants: timing and procedure

Below you will find all the important information on how to successfully grow currants in your garden.

Currants: the right location

Currant plants prefer slightly acidic, medium-heavy and humus-rich soil. Since they are forest and swamp plants, they also need evenly moist soil. To better ensure this, they are often covered with a layer of mulch, for example with grass clippings, manure or bark mulch. This layer of mulch also protects the roots of the plant from frosts in winter.

Currants feel at home in this location:

• Sunny to partial shade (for partial shade we recommend white currants)
• Soil doesn't have to be deep; a large plant trough or a low bed (40 cm) are therefore sufficient
• In severe frosts and when there is a high risk of late frost, mobile plant troughs and pots are the better choice; if there is a risk of frost, for example, push them into the garage or carry them
• Soil should be able to hold moisture well; medium-heavy soil is therefore ideal

Currants: when is the best time to plant?

Currants root best if you plant them in autumn after the leaves have fallen or in early spring before they sprout again. At this point in time, the soil is usually well moistened, and the water requirements of those that have not yet been driven out Plants are still significantly lower and the risk that the young, poorly rooted plants will dry out, less. In principle, however, planting is possible almost all year round. In this case, you should only pay attention to a good water supply after planting.

Planting currants: instructions

Planting currants works basically the same way as with other berry bushes or fruit trees. The only difference to note is that the plants are set a little deeper into the soil must be - red and white currants a few centimeters and black currants even one A hand's breadth. This promotes the development of new young shoots, which is particularly important with black currants, as these only bear fruit on the annual shoots.

Planting currants - this is how you do it step by step:

1. Clear the soil of weeds so that they do not grow into the root stock afterwards.
2. Dig a planting hole and loosen the soil next to and underneath with a digging fork.
3. The strongest and most beautiful five to six shoots, which grow in different directions if possible, are selected and cut back to a third of their length. However, there should still be three to five buds per shoot. Cut off the remaining shoots.
4. Dip the root ball briefly in water so that it soaks up with it.
5. Place red and white currants in the planting hole a few centimeters deeper than originally and black currants a hand's breadth deeper than before in the pot.
6. Fill the planting hole with compost soil, press the soil lightly and pour generously.
7. Cover the soil surface with mulch (bark mulch in the case of lime-rich soils, grass clippings, straw, manure, etc.).

Tip: Pile up some soil around the plant. This dam is used when watering to prevent the water from running away and reaching the plant roots.

Important for high stems: Before planting, a stake is driven into the planting hole, to which the high trunk is attached after planting. Incidentally, even after a few years, the stems bear far fewer currants than a well-developed bush. So here you have to decide between optics and yield. In addition, tall trunks also need to be cut thicker and more regularly so that they keep a nice shape. So you prepare a little more work.

Detailed information and tips on the Planting currants can also be found here.

Transplant currants

When transplanting currants, it is important to consider the age of the plant. After transplanting, it takes two to three years for the shrub to fully recover and hopefully bear as many berries as before. Such a procedure is therefore only worthwhile for younger shrubs. The best time for transplanting is autumn. The soil then dries out less quickly and the roots, which first have to anchor themselves again in the soil, find enough water.

The procedure is very similar to that of planting currants, but you should also lightly prune the roots of the currants when transplanting. The planting hole should be dug out generously and should also be extensive when digging it out. You cut a circle around the plant that is larger than the bush diameter with the spade and try to loosen the soil as deep as possible under the bush with a digging fork. Then you lift up the currant plant and cut the damaged roots back to the healthy tissue. Now move the plant to its new place and generously fill the planting hole with compost.

Water and fertilize currants

Currants do not have deep roots, but prefer moist soil that rarely dries out - and if so, not for too long. This places very special demands on your water supply. We will give you tips and at the same time tell you what is important when it comes to the right nutrient supply for currants.

Pour currants properly

Currant bushes want to be adequately watered, especially in the warm and dry summer months. Since the roots of many varieties do not penetrate very deeply into the soil, regular watering is essential if there is no rain. The frequency and amount of watering are highly dependent on the soil conditions. In general, the following applies: Due to the better water storage, currants do not have to be watered as often on heavy, rather loamy soils as in sandy locations. Incidentally, the water requirement of every plant is highest during flowering and fruiting, but there should not be longer drying times in between. So after the harvest, you usually don't have to worry about your currants anymore. If it rains very little in autumn, the plants look forward to something extra every few weeks Water, but in a regular fall with occasional rainfall, the low water demand at that time will be fine covered.

Plantura tip: The mulching of currant bushes - for example with straw, grass clippings or bark mulch - reduces the evaporation of the soil water and thus keeps the plants more humid. But be aware of the consequences that mulch materials such as straw and bark mulch have for the supply of nutrients to your plants.

Fertilize currants properly

Currants are best fertilized in February. An organic fertilizer, which gradually unfolds its effect, puts the currants from the early Spring, when the shoots begin to grow, up to fruit formation over a long period of time Disposal. Because of this desired long-term effect, we recommend organic fertilizers such as rotting manure, compost or ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer.

In addition, organic fertilizers in organic quality promote active soil life and are much more environmentally friendly than mineral, quick-acting variants. We advise against horn products, as they contain too little potassium and therefore only insufficiently supply the currants.

More about the Fertilizing your currants You will find here.

Pour currants in the pot and fertilize

Since plants in pots dry out faster due to the smaller substrate volume, currant bushes in pots have to be watered more often than outdoors. The specimens in the pot are also fertilized in February, but with significantly lower amounts than plants in the open. Because plants in this place cannot produce as many shoots and also not as many fruits as plants that can spread freely. That is why they cannot use as much fertilizer as their siblings in the bed. We recommend using a little less than the minimum recommendation for the minimum and maximum information for organic commercial fertilizers. From the Plantura organic universal fertilizer, for which we recommend 90 to 140 g per currant plant, 60 g is sufficient for a small potted plant and 80 g for a large one.

Cut currants

In order to be able to harvest a lot of berries every year, it is worth taking good care of the currants. In addition to watering and fertilizing, this also includes cutting them regularly. Such a cut stimulates the growth of new, fruit-bearing shoots. The old, no longer supporting rods are removed so that the young receive more light and can develop aromatic fruits. Well-ventilated shrubs are also less prone to fungal diseases.

Cutting currants: when is the right time?

Currants are usually cut in the summer after harvest or before they sprout in February. In summer, the currant bush is sometimes also thinned out before harvest. This allows you to promote the formation of the flower buds on the remaining shoots through the better exposure.

Cutting currants: instructions

When cutting the currants, you should pay attention to whether they are red, white or black varieties. White and red currant varieties produce most of the fruits on the side shoots of the one to three year old main shoots. Shoots that are more than three years old form only a few side shoots with small fruits and must therefore be replaced by younger shoots. Black currants mainly bear fruit on annual shoots. With them, the growth of new, young shoots must be encouraged even more.

Cutting currants in a nutshell:

1. For red and white currants, cut off all main shoots that are more than four to five years old. In the case of black currants, you can also prune back the annual shoots that have borne fruit this year.
2. As a rule of thumb, between eight and twelve main shoots are ideal for the plant. Cut off any remaining, weak, inward-growing shoots.
3. This step is particularly important for the red and white currants: the eight to twelve selected The side shoots that have borne fruit this year, except for a stub on the main shoot, become shoots cut back. Up to eight of the newly grown side shoots are left on each main shoot. You should cut off the remaining (deeply attached, thin, steeply growing, drooping) side shoots directly on the main shoot.
4. Also remove sick and dry twigs.
5. For red and white currants: For slow-growing varieties, shorten annual shoots by about a third. This improves branching, i.e. the formation of new side shoots.

More information on the ideal Cut of currants as well as the summer clearing cut can be found in our expert article.

Harvesting currants: when is harvest time?

Depending on the variety, red and white currants usually ripen between June and August. Black currants begin to bear ripe fruit in July. When exactly the fruits are ripe for picking, however, it is not that easy to determine. The berries take on their varietal color and become somewhat softer as they ripen. However, very soft fruits are often overripe and even fall off the bush. If you still feel resistance when plucking, you should wait a few more days. If the fruits come off easily, they are usually ripe. A sweet taste also indicates that it is ready for harvest. However, there are also great differences in varieties here.

Plantura tip: Only harvest on dry days, as wet fruits are prone to rot. That is why we advise you to always wash the fruit immediately before eating or processing.

Currants can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. However, they are healthiest when the light and heat sensitive vitamin C is still present in its entirety. Because of their high fruit acid content, currants are particularly suitable for making cakes, tarts, jams and jellies.

Did you know that the currant and the Gooseberry belong to the same family? We introduce you to the prickly relatives of the currant as well as helpful tips on cultivation and care.