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Thursday, 26 August 2010
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 I have many plants in my garden that I just adore and Currants edible and ornamental are amongst them. The flavour and taste of red, black and white currants always reminds me of the fun times I had as a child picking them with my Nana and great Uncle. The not so fun bit was if I got the black currant juice on my clothes or hands, as it’s a buggar to get off. Now each summer I when I harvest my own modest crop I make sure I am not wearing my ‘Sunday best’ when it comes to picking the fruit.
The flower currant is also a personal favorite as I adore the fragrant pink flowers that will appear in a few weeks, the foliage is highly perfumed as well offering a reward of fragrance whenever I go near.
Currants are so easy to grow and establish that there is really no reason you cannot have a plant or three your garden. All that is required is a sunny position in the garden or a space on the patio in full sun for a pot. The major challenge is keeping the birds at bay when the fruit is ripening. Last year I covered my plants with netting, this year I have moved them into the berry house, which is covered in chicken wire to foil the feathered flying pirates.
 Currants are a deciduous shrub that quickly reaches fruiting maturity. The bush made up of upright branches, which often grow as high as they do wide.
A wide range of currants are grown in New Zealand and these range in colour from Black and red to white. Currants are self-fertile although do seem to produce larger crops if planted in groups or pairs.
Black currants are well known for their high levels of vitamin C. Black currants are best eaten straight from the plant and can be frozen fresh each season. Often used for juice, jam and in pies. Common varieties are Ben Mapua, Goliath and Magnus. ‘Magnus is the main commercial variety in New Zealand
Red currants are popular because all the berries ripen once, providing a larger harvest than Black or white currants. The down side to this is that fruiting season is short.
Gloria de Versailles and Myra McKee are popular red currant varieties
White currants don’t seem to be as popular for some reason, I like them as they are less tart, but many find them dull, as they are not as colourful as the red and black. The white currant is an albino form of the red currant, hence it has similar growth and ripening habits. White Versallies is a common white variety
 Growing tips:
You don’t need a lot of time or skill to grow currants well. Choose well branched plants from the garden centre with good strong stems. Plant in a sunny position in soil that doesn’t get water logged in winter. Simply fertilise the plants each spring with a general slow release fertiliser or add a thick layer of well-rotted manure round the base. Prune to ensure you have plenty of fresh stems coming through to provide fruiting wood. Note that black currants need to be pruned differently to red and white currants.
Black currant fruit on 1-year-old wood, so remove all weak or diseased branches each season and encourage new growth for the following year. Red and White currants fruit on spurs that are 2 or 3 years old. Prune to leave some older wood each season
Currants are excellent plants for containers and pots, simply choose a container at least 2-3 times the size of a kitchen bucket – old recycling containers are ideal and fill with good quality potting mix and plant.
Water well through the early summer months and be vigilant as the fruit is ripening as the race to the ripe fruit with the winged warriors (birds) may leave you disappointed.
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