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Growing
Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants were traditionally used only for jams, pies and
puddings, and they tasted great. More
recently, there are varieties the size of small grapes which are
tasty eaten by themselves, with ice cream or cream. Mixed with
other fruit, they are delicious.
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Blackcurrants
the size of small grapes with a taste to match. |
An
easy crop to grow in the garden, they are however expensive in the supermarkets.
Home grown, they are almost free and packed full of vitamins,
especially vitamin C.
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BLACKCURRANT
QUICK GUIDE
Latin Name
Ribes nigrum
Type
Hardy deciduous shrub with edible berries
Site and Soil
Tolerant of many conditions. Preferably full sun, on a rich well-drained soil.
Plant to Harvest Time
2 years
Yield
4kg (9lb) per bush |
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Varieties of Blackcurrant
The table below lists varieties recommended by GardenAction.
| Variety |
Type |
Comments |
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Ben Gairn |
Early |
Resistant to most diseases affecting blackcurrants
including Reversion virus. One of the earliest varieties to fruit
, it has medium sized berries with a good taste. |
| Ben Lomond |
Mid-season |
Resistant
to most foliar diseases and also to mildew. This variety grows
to around 1 metre (3 foot) high and produces large fruit. |
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Titania |
Mid-season |
Large tasty blackcurrants on a tallish bush. Needs
a protected position. Good disease resistance. |
Site
and Soil For Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants are more tolerant than many fruits of their site and soil
conditions. What they do like though is a moist soil, but not water
logged. They need the moisture for the fruits to develop. This is one
reason why they do well in less dry parts of the UK.
Their ideal site is in full sun, but the effect of partial shade does them
little harm. Avoid frost-pockets, their flowers can be damaged by a late
frost which will of course result in a lower yield of fruit.
Their ideal soil is a rich well-drained soil which will not dry out. They
prefer a slightly acidic soil - around pH 6 to 6.5 (click here
for more
details on soil acidity). They will grow well however on most normal soils.
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