Permapotes

Redcurrant bush

Redcurrant bush: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

The currant bush described here is a fruiting shrub of the genus Ribes, in the Grossulariaceae family. Redcurrants are commonly associated with Ribes rubrum, including cultivars and related forms. This entry concerns small berries held in clusters, distinct from the larger fruits of gooseberry bushes and the blackcurrants of blackcurrant bushes.

Woody branches carry green leaves with three or five lobes. The foliage is deciduous: it falls during winter dormancy while the woody framework remains. Small, greenish to yellowish flowers precede hanging clusters of fruit. Unlike gooseberries, these currant bushes do not have their characteristic spines, another useful difference between closely related garden fruits.

Red berries are shiny and often slightly translucent, with small seeds inside. Their skin and flesh provide a juicy texture and noticeable tartness. White and pink currants also exist as forms closely related to red ones. A ripe white currant is therefore not simply an unripe redcurrant: the expected colour depends on the type being grown.

Red-fruited cultivars include ‘Jonkheer van Tets’, ‘Red Lake’, ‘Rolan’ and ‘Mulka’. Selections differ in ripening season, vigour, cluster length and berry qualities. A cultivar name therefore provides information that the general term currant bush does not. Not all clusters look the same, and their colour alone does not sum up their flavour. This diversity allows different experiences within a familiar group of fruit bushes.

You can enjoy currants fresh or combine them with other fruit in salads. Their tartness also belongs in pies, jellies, jams, juices and sorbets. They can accompany sauces and savoury preparations too. Choosing whole berries, juice or jelly changes both the texture and the way you experience their flavour, giving these small fruits several roles in the kitchen.

The currant bush is a woody perennial whose shoots and branches renew over several years. Fruiting on short spurs of established wood distinguishes it from an annual vegetable replaced through sowing. In the garden, its small-shrub outline and bright clusters add visual interest to fruit production. It can take different forms, including a bush or cordon, without becoming a different species.

Redcurrant bush
Redcurrant bush
Characteristics
  • Exposure : Partial Shade
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
  • Mature height : 120 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Cutting