Currants and gooseberries are a beautiful addition to the landscape with bright spring flowers, colorful berries and lobed foliage.
Currant varieties come in shades of red, black, and white. Red currants are high in pectin, making them ideal for jams and jellies. Black currants have five times the Vitamin C of oranges and make wonderful liqueurs. White currants are typically sweeter and less acidic than red currants and are best eaten fresh.
Gooseberries typically have striped, slightly fuzzy fruit and thorny stems. Both produce small to medium, tart berries great for pies, jams, jellies and preserves. They are high in vitaminsA, B, and C, as well as several minerals.
One of the first signs that spring is nipping at our heels at Portland Nursery is the arrival of our berries. Currants and Gooseberries begin to arrive in January. Our selection varies year to year, and we almost never see as many kinds as we would like, so please use this list as a guideline.
Red Currants – Ribes rubrum
Plant Red Currants 3-5 feet apart.
Pruning: Red currants bear fruit on two to three year old wood. Remove branches more than three years old. Then remove all but six of the new shoots.
Black Currants – Ribes nigrum
Plant Black Currants 5-6 feet apart.
Pruning: Black currants bear fruit on one year old wood, and spurs arising from two year old wood. Remove 1/4 to 1/3 of all two year wood, as well as older and weak wood. New shoots are pale and tan. Two year wood is gray and older wood is black.
White Currants – Ribes rubrum
Plant White Currants 3-5 feet apart.
Pruning: White currants bear fruit on two to three year old wood. Remove branches more than three years old. Then remove all but six of the new shoots.
Gooseberries – Ribes uva-crispa
Plant Gooseberries 2-5 feet apart.
Pruning: Gooseberries bear fruit on two to four year old wood. They are pruned like red currants, removing wood older than four years (this wood is dark with multiple branching). Thin the new shoots to the strongest six.
Jostaberry - Ribes nigra x Ribes divaricatum x Ribes uva-crispa
Jostaberries are the child of European Black Currants and Gooseberries with Pacific Northwest native Gooseberries. Their fruit looks like a black currant but the flavor is closer to gooseberry! It's disease resistant and self-fertile and well worth growing!
Grows 5' x 6', sun - pt shade (grow in sun for best fruiting). Plant 6-8 feet apart.
FAQs
Gooseberries and currants are very closely related, being members of the same genus Ribes, however, they do have a few major differences. Gooseberries tend to have significantly larger fruit than currants and they have thorns on their stems. They are green or dark red when fully ripe.
What time of year do you plant currants? ›
The best time to plant or transplant currants is in the fall. That's because they leaf out very early in the spring. If planting in spring, the earlier the better. Like any shrub, if you move it while dormant there is less stress to the plant.
Do I need 2 currant bushes? ›
Gooseberries and currants are woody perennial shrubs that reach a height of 3 to 6 feet when mature. Unlike other fruiting plants, they will tolerate partial shade. Plants are self-fruitful and, therefore, do not require two or more varieties for adequate pollination.
What type of growing conditions do currants and gooseberries prefer? ›
Unlike most other fruits, currants and gooseberries grow well in partial shade. They prefer cool, moist locations on a north slope or the northern side of a building, for example. Choose a site with good air circulation to avoid powdery mildew, a disease that commonly plagues Ribes.
What are currants called in America? ›
Raisins. A currant is a type of raisin. Raisins are dried grapes. There are plenty of varieties, but in the U.S., "raisin" typically refers to dark-colored dried large grape.
What are gooseberries called in America? ›
Ribes hirtellum, American gooseberry.
Is it legal to grow currants in the US? ›
It is native to Western Europe and has long been cultivated in the United States. In the early 1900s, currants were banned in the northern United States to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust. However for most states, including Utah, the ban was lifted in 1966.
Do currants like full sun or shade? ›
Currants and gooseberries will grow in full sun to partial shade. You will get more fruit if the plant is in full sun. Space plants at least 3 feet apart. Most currants and gooseberries are self-fruitful.
How hard are currants to grow? ›
Currants are a type of berry that comes in red, black or white colors. They grow on small shrubs. Currants are a hardy, easy-to-grow berry that foes well in pies, jams or pastries. Currants are native to North America.
Why is it illegal to grow gooseberry bushes? ›
Unfortunately, also in the early 1900s, the growing of gooseberry and related currants became federally banned because of a fungal disease called white pine blister rust, a deadly disease for all species of white pines (which includes the ancient bristlecone pines).
You can eat currants raw, but black currants, especially, are quite tart. Adding a bit of sugar or cooking the berries into jams, jellies, or sauces can help offset the tartness (but will also affect their nutritional profile). You can use currants in desserts instead of other berries.
Are gooseberries worth growing? ›
Gooseberry bushes grow well in most soils; they're self-pollinating so you can get away with planting just one; they're easy to prune; and gooseberries are very generous, giving up their sumptuous fruits in hearty profusion. In short, you really need to grow one!
Why aren t gooseberries more popular? ›
Gooseberries were implicated, along with currants, for the spread of white pine blister rust, a disease also of white pines. White pines were an important timber crop; gooseberries were commercially unimportant. In the early 1900s, the federal government imposed a ban on growing gooseberries and currants.
Do deer eat currants? ›
Good news! Although deer will browse their way through most plants we want to eat, they show little interest in currants. So if you have filled your garden with deer-resistant plants, now you can add some edibles to that group.
Are currants dried gooseberries? ›
Currants are related to gooseberries and come in a mix of colors. They are different from the dried currants you see at the grocery store, which are really just tiny raisins. The exact flavor of the berries depends of the color—red, white, or black—though they are all tart and juicy.
Is a gooseberry the same as a current? ›
Gooseberry canes normally produce a spine at each leaf node and bear roughly grape-sized berries singly or in groups of two or three. Currant canes lack the spines and bear 8 to 30 pea-sized berries in clusters. A mature currant or gooseberry shrub can produce up to four quarts of fruit annually.
What fruit is closest to a currant? ›
Raisins: These dried grapes are sweet with a similar size to currants, often used in baked goods. Dried Cranberries: Known for their tart flavor, they bring both color and a comparable taste to dishes.
Can you eat gooseberries? ›
Most people prefer to chop the very bottom and top off the berry, as it can taste a little woody. Once prepared, you can eat gooseberries as a healthy snack on their own. Alternatively, add them to a fruit salad, use them as a topping on cereal or yogurt, or mix them into a fresh summer salad.
