How to grow redcurrants

Getting Started

Established redcurrant bushes crop prolifically, forming long trusses of vibrant fruits

Redcurrants (Ribes rubrum) are both productive and attractive, adorned with long clusters of glossy red fruits in summer. These shrubs can be grown in containers and are happy in sun or partial shade. They can also be trained into decorative and space-saving shapes, so really earn their keep however small your garden. They are easy to plant and need little attention once settled in. However, as birds love the fruits, you'll need to protect your crop with plastic-free netting or a fruit cage once it starts to ripen.

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Plant redcurrants

Put supports in place for trained forms

Take cuttings

Month by Month

Plant

Harvest

Choosing What To Grow

There are several redcurrant varieties, with different ripening times, shade tolerance and disease resistance. When choosing, look for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in our trials and make reliable choices. See our list of AGM fruit and veg (135kB pdf) and our Recommended Varieties below. You'll also find redcurrants growing in the fruit plots of the RHS Gardens, so do visit to compare varieties and pick up growing tips.

Grow white and pinkcurrants alongside redcurrants for a decorative and varied harvest

What and where to buy

Redcurrant plants in pots are available all year round from many gardening retailers. Bare-root plants are also available during the dormant season (late autumn to early spring), mainly from specialist online fruit suppliers. They are usually cheaper than potted plants, but are less widely available and must be planted straight away.

Redcurrants are usually grown as open-centred bushes, but can also be trained as space-saving cordons, fans and standards, so select a plant to buy based on how you will be growing it:

For growing as a bush 鈥� choose a two- to three-year-old plant with a short, clear stem of 10鈥�15cm (4鈥�6in) and a well-balanced head of three to five main branches
For growing as a cordon 鈥� look for a plant with a vigorous main stem. Alternatively, buy a one-year-old cutting or partly-trained plant from a specialist online supplier
For growing as a fan 鈥� buy a one-year-old cutting or a plant sold for cordon training and prune after planting to encourage branching. Alternatively, buy a bush-trained plant with two to four branches that can be positioned flat against a wall or fence
For growing as a standard 鈥� buy a pre-trained, grafted plant with a clear trunk 1-1.2m (3陆鈥�4ft) tall, topped with a bushy head of branches

Planting

Redcurrants, whether bought in pots or bare-root, are best planted between November and March. Although potted redcurrants can be planted at any time of year, they will settle in best if planted during this dormant season. You can plant them in the ground or in large containers.

Redcurrants prefer full sun, but will also grow well in partial shade, such as against a north-facing wall, although the fruit will ripen slightly later and be less sweet. Choose a sheltered spot and avoid locations prone to late frosts, which can damage the flowers, resulting in a smaller crop. Consider planting inside a fruit cage to protect your crop from birds.

Redcurrant bushes work well in raised beds, alongside other crops

No soil preparation is generally needed before planting. However, if your soil is poor, dig a bucketful of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, into the soil you remove from your planting hole and use this to backfill after planting. This minimises soil disturbance and gets your plant off to a strong start.

Prepare your redcurrant for planting by giving it a good water if it is in a container, or by standing it in a bucket of water for half an hour if it is bare-root. Space redcurrants 1.2鈥�1.5m (4鈥�5ft) apart for bush plants, 30-40cm (12-16in) apart for cordons and 1.5m (5ft) apart for fans.

For advice on how to plant, see our guides below:

Planting in a container

For growing in a container, choose a pot at least 45cm (18in) wide and fill with a good-quality, soil-based compost such as peat-free John Innes No.3. Position in a sheltered spot, preferably in full sun.

Supporting trained plants

All trained redcurrants (those grown as cordons, fans and standards) need supports to grow and fruit well, and these should be put in place before or at planting time. Cordons and fans are best trained against a system of horizontal wires spaced at 60cm (2ft) intervals from the ground and attached to freestanding posts or to a wall or fence.

Standards and single cordons can simply be supported by a sturdy bamboo cane or thin tree stake around 1.5m (5ft) tall.

Tie-in well-positioned stems after planting using soft twine.

Plant Care

Established redcurrants need little maintenance apart from annual pruning and mulching. However, to safeguard your crop, it is also a good idea to protect ripening fruit from birds.

Watering

Water newly planted redcurrants regularly during dry spells in their first couple of years. Once established, bushes growing in the ground shouldn't need any routine watering.

Redcurrants growing in containers need a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season, so water regularly in dry spells aiming to keep the soil evenly moist. Water early in the morning or in the evening to minimise moisture loss from the soil, ideally using stored rainwater.

Mulching

Mulch redcurrants growing in the ground each spring, spreading a thick layer of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, on the soil around the base of the bushes. This helps to hold moisture in the soil and suppress weeds. Just make sure to leave a small mulch-free circle immediately around the base of the stems, to prevent them rotting.

Feeding

Redcurrants growing in regularly mulched soil shouldn't need any additional feeding. However, if harvests are poor or your plant is showing signs of nutrient deficiency, apply a granular fertiliser to the soil in early spring. Use our page on nutrient deficiencies to work out what is lacking and apply the recommended feed, following instructions on the packet.

Plants growing in containers benefit from regular feeding. Either apply an organic, high potassium liquid fertiliser every fortnight during the growing season, or sprinkle a handful of a granular, general purpose fertiliser onto the compost each spring.

Repotting

Container-grown redcurrants need repotting every few years into a larger container of peat-free compost 鈥� this is best done in spring. Once it becomes impractical to move the plant into a larger pot, repot into the same one, removing and replacing any loose compost and lightly trimming the roots.

In the years between repotting, topdress by removing the top layer of compost and replacing with fresh.

Protecting

Protecting flowers from frost

If frost is forecast while redcurrants are in flower, cover the plants overnight with biodegradable fleece or hessian, raised up on canes.

Redcurrant flowers are insect-pollinated, so make sure to remove covers during the day

Protecting fruit from birds

Cover redcurrant bushes with plastic-free or reused netting as soon as fruit starts to change colour, to prevent it getting eaten by garden birds. Make sure the netting is taut, so birds don鈥檛 get tangled in it. Alternatively, use a temporary or permanent fruit cage.

Propagating

Insert redcurrant cuttings around the edge of a pot or into the ground

You can make new redcurrant plants by taking hardwood cuttings from young, healthy wood between mid-autumn and late winter. The cuttings should be around 20cm (8in) long and can be inserted into pots of peat-free compost or directly into the ground.

Taking cuttings from older plants is not recommended, as they may have diseases that will reduce the vigour of any plants propagated from them.

Pruning And Training

Redcurrants should be pruned regularly to maintain a good shape and produce the best possible crop. They bear their fruit at the base of the previous year's shoots and on spurs on older wood.

Prune either once or twice a year, depending on the plant鈥檚 shape:

Bushes 鈥� prune in late winter or early spring to create and maintain an open-centred goblet shape with up to ten well-spaced branches
Cordons 鈥� prune in late winter/early spring and in summer to restrict growth and create fruiting spur systems. Treat each vertical arm of double and triple cordons as an individual, single cordon
Fans 鈥� prune in late winter/early spring and in summer to create a full, well-balanced fan of five main branches plus permanent sideshoots
Standards 鈥� prune the crown in late winter/early spring as for bush plants, and remove any growth originating from the main stem below the crown as soon as seen

Double cordons make an interesting and productive feature in the garden

See our guides below for step-by-step instructions on how to prune all forms:

Harvesting

Early, mid-season and late varieties ripen in succession from early July to late August

Redcurrants are ready to harvest once the fruits are richly coloured, firm and juicy, usually from July onwards depending on the variety. Cut whole fruit trusses (known as strigs) rather than individual currants, and simply remove the stems in the kitchen.

An established bush can produce about 4.5kg (10lb) of redcurrants. These vibrant, semi-sweet, tangy berries are great for using in fruity desserts such as summer pudding and have a high pectin content, so are easy to turn into redcurrant jelly.

Problem Solving

Redcurrants are generally healthy, robust, long-lasting shrubs, but there are a few insects and fungal diseases that can affect them (see Common Problems, below).

Birds may eat the ripening currants in summer, and bullfinches may peck the leaf buds in late winter, so it's worth covering plants with plastic-free or reused netting at these times, or growing them inside a fruit cage. Fruiting can also be reduced if the flowers are hit by frost, so keep an eye on weather forecasts while redcurrants are flowering in spring and cover plants overnight with biodegradable fleece or hessian, supported on canes, if freezing temperatures are likely.

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