Growing Redcurrants and Whitecurrants in Scotland: The Complete Guide

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Redcurrants and whitecurrants are one crop in two colours, with one routine for both. The pruning is the part to get right, because the renewal cut that suits blackcurrants is the wrong habit here.

Site and planting

Redcurrants and whitecurrants prefer full sun but grow well in partial shade, where the fruit ripens slightly later and is less sweet. Choose a sheltered spot away from late frosts, which can damage the flowers. Plant bare-rootA plant, usually a fruit tree or hedging, sold with its roots exposed rather than in a pot, and only available while dormant. Full definition → bushes November to March while dormant; containerisedA plant grown and sold in a pot of compost, which can be planted out at any time of year, unlike a bare-root plant. Full definition → plants any time. Position at the same depth the plant was previously growing. Space free-standing bushes 1.2-1.5m apart, cordonsA fruit tree or bush trained as a single main stem with short fruiting side-spurs, usually grown at an angle against a wall, fence or wire. Full definition → much closer at 30-40cm, and fans 1.5m apart. In a container, use one at least 45cm wide with soil-based compost.

Edimentals: The Ornamental Edibles Worth a Spot in Your Border → covers redcurrant bushes trained as fans or cordons alongside other edible plants that earn a place in a decorative border.

Care

Water regularly during dry spells for the first couple of years; once established, bushes in the ground shouldn't need routine watering. Mulch each spring with at least 5cm of organic matter, leaving a small gap around the base of the stems; a well-mulchedA layer of material spread over the soil around plants to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil structure as it breaks down. Full definition → bush generally needs no extra feeding. Container plants need a high-potassium liquid feed every fortnight through the growing season.

If frost is forecast while the bushes are in flower, cover them overnight with fleeceA lightweight, breathable fabric laid or draped over plants to trap a little warmth and keep off frost, wind and some flying pests. Full definition → or hessian on canes, and uncover them in the day so pollinating insects can reach the flowers. Net bushes as the fruit starts to colour, keeping the netting taut, since birds strip ripening fruit. Bullfinches may peck leaf buds in late winter. A fruit cage is the permanent solution if you grow several fruit bushes.

Pruning

They fruit at the base of the previous year's shoots and on spurs on older wood, so pruning keeps a permanent framework: an open-centred, goblet-shapedA bush pruned with an open middle and outward-radiating branches, so light and air reach every part rather than a dense, shaded centre. Full definition → bush with 8-10 main branches. Each year or every other year you take out only one or two older, less fruitful branches to stimulate strong replacements. Cutting a third of the stems to the base, as blackcurrants are pruned, would remove too much of the wood the crop depends on.

After planting, select up to five well-spaced, strong shoots and prune them back to 15-20cm. Established bushes are pruned in late winter or early spring: reduce the previous season's growth on main branches by a quarter to a half, cut side-shoots back to one or two buds, remove one or two older, less fruitful branches, and take out any low branches that would sag further under a crop's weight. Cordons and fans get a second prune in mid-June to July, shortening side-shoots that have seven or eight leaves back to five leaves.

Varieties

Four redcurrants (Jonkheer van Tets, Red Lake, Rovada and Stanza) and two whitecurrants (Blanka and White Grape) hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit, a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one.

Red Lake has large, sweet, juicy, dark-red currants that ripen from late July. Stanza is mid-season, with large, deep-red fruit of good flavour. White Grape is the second whitecurrant, with plentiful large, sweet berries that ripen in mid-summer.

Also worth considering

Best Redcurrant Varieties for Scotland → compares all named redcurrant varieties head-to-head, with the practical detail that doesn't fit in a summary card.

Propagation

Take hardwood cuttings about 20cm long from healthy young woodWhether a plant fruits on stems grown the previous year (young wood) or on older, established branches (old wood), which decides how it's pruned. Full definition → between mid-autumn and late winter, and avoid old plants, which may carry disease.

Harvesting

Ready once fruits are richly coloured, firm and juicy, usually from July onwards depending on variety. Cut whole trussesThe flowering, then fruiting, stem cluster on a tomato plant; each truss ripens its fruit together. Full definition → (strigs) rather than picking individual berries: modern varieties ripen the whole truss together, which is what makes this practical. Older varieties ripen from the top of the truss down, so pick the berries individually as they become sweet. Pick on a dry day, since wet fruit spoils faster. An established bush yields about 4.5kg a year, whether it's carrying red or white fruit.

Early, mid-season and late varieties ripen in succession from early July to late August, so growing more than one spreads the harvest over several weeks instead of landing it all at once.

Common problems

• Birds strip ripening fruit fast, and bullfinches peck at leaf buds over winter; netting or a fruit cage covers both risks.
• Gooseberry mildew can also affect redcurrants and whitecurrants.
• Currant aphids and other aphids distort new growth and shoots.

Common questions

Sources