White Currants are closely related to Red Currants and need similar, sunny or partially shaded treatment. They will reward the soft fruit grower with a nice crop of sweet juicy fruit for gardeners pies and summer puddings.
What is a White Currant
- Ribes rubrum is the fruiting currant which can be red, yellow, pink or white.
- These currants are related to the Gooseberry
- White Currants make a fairly strong, vigorous, upright bush. The plant in the photo has been trained in a ‘U’ shape as a double cordon. This urn shape in a bush or cordon allows air to circulate and helps harvesting.
- White Versaillies has large light yellow and sweet fruit ready for harvesting early July. ‘White Grape’ AGM and ‘White Pearl’ fruit in summer.
Growing White Currants
- Plant currants when they become dormant towards the end of November or December.
- Propagate from ripe hardwood cuttings 10-12 inches long burried ¾ of the way into the ground. New roots will strike from a number of areas along the stem.
- You can also layer currants in autumn or spring as they root quite freely.
- Prune all young side shoots to 5 leaves in June. In Autumn or winter cut back long shoots by one third.
- Snip strings of fruit with scissors (then separate them from the stalk with a fork)
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