Ribes nigrum
The most productive soft fruit in the UK kitchen garden for its size. Blackcurrants are extraordinarily vigorous, virtually indestructible, and yield more vitamin C per kilo than almost any other fruit you can grow. A single established bush produces 4–5kg of fruit per year. They thrive in British conditions, tolerate heavy soil, and need nothing more than an annual prune and a generous mulch.
The number of varieties shown for each crop is based on UK consumption data (2025/26) — the more popular the crop, the more variety choices we include.
The most compact blackcurrant bush available, making it ideal for smaller gardens and even large containers. Very large berries — among the largest of any variety — with excellent flavour. Good mildew resistance. AGM winner.
The commercial standard for UK production. Very heavy cropping with large berries in long strigs — easy to pick. Moderately compact bush. The benchmark variety against which all others are measured for reliability and yield.
A compact, spreading bush well suited to smaller gardens. Excellent mildew and frost resistance. Large berries in heavy clusters. One of the best all-round choices for the domestic kitchen garden.
Bred specifically for resistance to big bud mite and reversion virus — the two most damaging problems in blackcurrant growing. An excellent choice where these pests have been a problem. Good flavour and reliable yield.
The latest-ripening of the Ben series, extending the blackcurrant harvest into August. Large berries with a milder, sweeter flavour than earlier varieties. Useful for extending the picking season when grown alongside an earlier variety.
Very late-ripening variety that extends the blackcurrant season well into August, often the last to be harvested. Very sweet berries — milder and less acidic than most varieties. Useful where a long season is wanted.
A heritage variety long favoured for its intensely sharp, traditional blackcurrant flavour that produces outstanding jam and cordial. Less vigorous than modern Ben varieties but retained by enthusiasts for its flavour quality. The variety used for decades before the Ben series arrived.
A traditional variety widely grown before modern introductions. Very high vitamin C content. Late ripening, compact habit. Strong, full flavour preferred by many for cordial and jam making over the milder modern varieties. Still valued by preservers for intensity.
Swedish-bred variety with exceptional disease resistance including good tolerance of white pine blister rust. Vigorous, upright growth. Large berries with a slightly sweeter, milder flavour than most British varieties. Good choice for organic growing systems.
Unlike almost every other fruit bush, blackcurrants should be planted 5cm deeper than the soil mark visible on the stem — this encourages new shoots to grow from below ground level, building a much denser, more productive bush over time. Prepare the site with plenty of well-rotted compost or manure first, then, immediately after planting, cut every single stem back to within 2-3 buds of the ground. This feels counter-intuitive on a young bush but is essential: it forces strong new growth from the base rather than a weak crop on old wood. Mulch generously in a wide circle and net against birds from July, when starlings, blackbirds, and thrushes will otherwise strip a laden bush within days.
Dig the planting site thoroughly and incorporate a generous amount of well-rotted compost or manure — blackcurrants are heavy feeders and the soil improvement done at planting sustains them for many years. Remove all perennial weeds from the area.
Unlike most plants, blackcurrants should be planted 5cm deeper than the soil mark visible on the stem. This unique requirement encourages additional stems to develop from below ground level, building a multi-stemmed, productive bush rather than a single-stemmed one. Lean the plant slightly to encourage outward-spreading growth.
Cut every stem to within 2–3 buds of the ground immediately after planting. This feels drastic but is essential — it sacrifices the first year's fruit in exchange for a dramatically stronger, more productive long-term bush. Without this hard prune, plants become leggy and unproductive.
Apply a thick mulch of compost, woodchip, or straw around the base in a wide circle — at least 60cm radius. Keep clear of the stems. Blackcurrants are shallow-rooted and benefit enormously from moisture retention and weed suppression.
As fruit ripens in July, birds — particularly starlings, blackbirds, and thrushes — will strip a bush bare overnight. Install a cage or drape netting firmly over the bush from late June. Without protection, a full crop can be lost within 24 hours.
Attracts pollinators and adds a decorative, low-maintenance border nearby.
A mild allium companion said to help deter aphids and other pests with its strong scent.
Onion-family plants grown nearby are thought to help deter pests with their strong scent.
Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects into the fruiting area.
Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, and is said to improve nearby fruit set.
Always buy blackcurrant plants certified free of reversion virus, which causes gradual but irreversible yield decline. Certified plants are tested and labelled — look for the official government certification label.
Bare-root blackcurrants must be planted when dormant — November to March. Plant in prepared ground at the deeper-than-nursery-mark depth described above. Firm well and water in even in winter if conditions are dry.
Cut all stems to 2–3 buds from the ground. This is non-negotiable for long-term productivity. Label the plant and resist the temptation to let it fruit in year one.
| Region | Sow / plant | Harvest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland & Far North | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug | |
| Northern England | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug | |
| Midlands & Wales | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug | |
| Ireland & Isle of Man | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug | |
| South & SE England | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug | |
| South Coast & SW | Nov–Mar | Jul–Aug |
Blackcurrants are propagated from hardwood cuttings taken in autumn — this is one of the simplest and most reliable propagation methods of any fruit crop. No propagator, heat, or special equipment is needed.
Not Required — Blackcurrants root readily from hardwood cuttings in open ground. No heat assistance is needed.
Cut 20–25cm lengths of pencil-thick current-season growth in October–November. Make the top cut just above a bud and the bottom cut just below a bud. Remove all buds except the top two — buds left underground will produce suckers, not a clean multi-stemmed bush.
Push cuttings vertically into a slit trench with only the top two buds showing above ground. Firm soil around them. They will root through winter and begin growing in spring with very high success rates.
Leave undisturbed through the summer. Water in dry spells. By autumn, cuttings will have rooted and produced their first season's growth. At this point they are ready to move to their permanent positions.
Move rooted cuttings to their permanent positions the following autumn, again planting 5cm deeper than the existing soil mark. Prune hard as per new plants.
Blackcurrants fruit on the previous year's wood — the younger and more vigorous the stems, the better the crop. Each winter (November to February), remove approximately one third of the oldest stems at the base. Old stems are darker, thicker, and less productive. Aim to keep a balanced mix of 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year wood. After 3 years, a stem is past its best. Never cut into a spur system as with gooseberries or redcurrants — blackcurrants are managed as a stool (multi-stemmed bush) by removing complete old stems and letting new ones grow from the base.
Blackcurrants are the hungriest soft fruit crop. Apply a high-nitrogen fertiliser in early March (sulphate of ammonia or a balanced granular feed) to support the vigorous growth that produces next year's fruiting wood. Follow with a high-potash feed in May as flowers develop. Apply a generous mulch of well-rotted compost or manure in spring — this is the single most effective maintenance task for keeping a blackcurrant bush productive. Without annual feeding, yields decline noticeably within 2–3 years.
Blackcurrants need consistent moisture from flowering through to harvest. The berries develop from July onwards and swell significantly in the final weeks before picking — irregular watering during this period causes splitting and reduced yield. Water deeply at the base every 7–10 days in dry weather from June onwards. Avoid overhead watering, which promotes mildew. The mulch applied each spring greatly reduces watering requirements by retaining soil moisture.
Birds are the greatest single threat to a blackcurrant crop — a flock of starlings can strip an entire bush in minutes once the berries begin to colour. Protect with a fruit cage or drape fine-mesh netting over the bush from late June, securing it firmly at ground level. Do not use very fine netting — it traps birds and insects. A 25mm mesh is ideal: it excludes birds while allowing pollinating insects access during flowering. Remove netting promptly after harvest to allow natural pruning of pests by birds.
Reversion virus causes leaves to develop fewer lobes and yields to drop steadily — no cure, remove and destroy affected plants and replace with certified stock. Big bud mite causes rounded, swollen buds in early spring (normal buds are pointed and narrow) — remove and burn affected wood, or choose resistant varieties like Ben Hope. Powdery mildew produces white coating on new growth in dry periods — ensure good airflow and consistent watering. American gooseberry mildew can also affect blackcurrants.
Full identification and treatment advice is in the Pests and Diseases sections.
Fresh blackcurrants keep better than most soft fruit — their natural acidity inhibits spoilage. Refrigerate unwashed in a shallow container and they will keep for 3–5 days. Eat fresh as a sharp accompaniment to yoghurt, cream, or ice cream. The raw fruit is an acquired taste — strongly acidic and intensely flavoured — but this same intensity makes homegrown blackcurrant juice, cordial, and jam incomparably superior to any commercial product.
Blackcurrants make outstanding jam and cordial — their sharp intensity is what makes homemade blackcurrant cordial, diluted with sparkling water, so much better than anything in the shops. A bottle of homemade blackcurrant cordial is the most rewarding product of any kitchen garden. Follow a tested recipe.
Blackcurrants freeze exceptionally well, retaining almost all their flavour and nutritional value. Strip from strigs, wash, dry, and freeze on a tray before bagging. They can also be frozen in strigs and stripped later when partially thawed — the berries fall off cleanly. Use within 18 months. Frozen blackcurrants are outstanding in crumbles, ice cream, cheesecakes, and smoothies. Their high vitamin C content makes them a valuable winter ingredient.
One large blackcurrant bush produces enough fruit for a full summer's supply of homemade cordial. Blackcurrant cordial diluted with sparkling water is genuinely superior to any commercial product and almost impossible to buy. A single harvest from 2–3 established bushes provides enough concentrate to see a family through to the following July.
No other fruit crop is planted below the nursery soil mark. The deep planting of blackcurrants (5cm below the mark) is a long-established technique that encourages multiple new shoots to develop from below ground, producing the characteristically multi-stemmed bush shape that makes the crop so productive and long-lived. It also improves frost resistance by protecting the crown.
A severely neglected or unproductive blackcurrant bush can be cut entirely to the ground in late winter — every stem, completely. This drastic renovation stimulates vigorous regrowth from the base. It sacrifices two years of fruit but completely renews a bush that would otherwise require replacement. Only attempt this on a bush that is fundamentally healthy (no reversion virus).