Currants and Gooseberries
Overview
While currants and gooseberries are very hardy, easy to grow and quite productive, they are not as popular for home gardening as many other small fruits. These two small fruits are closely related but are very different in growth habit, appearance and flavor. Both fruits are tart and flavorful. In fact, they are too tart to enjoy fresh but are ideal for juices, wine, pastries and preserves. Red varieties of gooseberries are sweet when ripe and can be enjoyed fresh.
These woody, perennial shrubs are also used as deciduous ornamental plants in the edible landscape. Both can reach a height of 4' - 6' at maturity and, unlike most other fruiting plants, will tolerate partial shade. Both plants are self-fruitful, so plantings of a single cultivar usually produce adequate amounts of fruit. Still, gooseberries can be variable, so consider planting two or more different cultivars close to each to ensure good fruit set.
Gooseberry canes typically have sharp spines on the stems attached at the nodes. These spines range in number and size (¼"-1½") depending on the cultivar. The spines require gardeners to be more careful when pruning or picking gooseberries but should not deter anyone from growing this excellent fruit. Besides, gooseberries and currants require only an annual pruning. That's far less pruning than most other small fruits.
Ongoing Management
Insect & Disease Control.
Pest problems for currants and gooseberries include sawflies, aphids, scales, currant worms, currant bud mites and currant fruit flies. Diseases include powdery mildew, anthracnose and botrytis. Use pesticides which are labeled for these fruit crops and disease problems, and always follow the instructions for the crop as printed on the label.
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Culture
Weeds can be controlled by cultivation. As plants mature, avoid deep cultivation (hoeing or tilling) that can damage roots. Place mulch at least 6" from the trunk and continue outward for 3'. If using uncomposted straw or sawdust, apply extra nitrogen to avoid nitrogen deficiency as the mulch begins to decompose.
Both gooseberries and currants are heavy nitrogen feeders. Aged manure is often recommended as a fertilizer. Young plants will not require large applications. Once the plants begin to bear fruit, side-dress annually with aged manure to maintain productivity. Commercial fertilizers may also be used. If plants do not appear to be growing vigorously, then lightly broadcast about 0.25 to 0.5 lbs. of 10-10-10 fertilizer around each plant.
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Pruning / Cutting Back
Prune plants when dormant, in late winter or very early spring to see the plant's structure. Annually prune out any weak, broken or horizontally growing stems during the first three years of growth. Also, allow four or five strong canes to develop each year. Starting in the fourth year, select and prune out the oldest wood annually and remove any unwanted canes as low to the ground as possible. A mature shrub should have a total of about 9 to 12 canes once pruning is completed. Fruit produces on one, two and three-year-old wood, so the ideal pruning scheme is to annually retain three to four canes of wood. Carefully pruned bushes will always produce a better fruit crop.
There is no easy or simple way to tell when currants and gooseberries are ripe, other than to sample the flavor of the fruits as they mature and monitor their changing fruit color. Both currants and gooseberries will tend to ripen over a two-week period in June. Typically, berries can be harvested with multiple picking times since fruit will not drop immediately upon ripening like most other small fruits.
Getting Started
Both currants and gooseberries grow well in Ohio, but summer heat and drought can reduce production and scald fruit. Choose a northern or northeastern slope, or a site that is cool, but sunny. Currants and gooseberries will grow in shade, but, here, the slow-to-dry foliage and fruits are more prone to powdery mildew.
Good air circulation is important for disease prevention. For sloped sites, place currants below gooseberries, since gooseberries are more susceptible to powdery mildew than currants. Low-lying, frost-prone sites are undesirable for planting, since the flowers of these early-bloomers would be prone to frost damage.
Currants and gooseberries thrive in a cool, moist, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter. Silt and clay loams are ideal. The pH range for both plants is 5.8 to 7.0. Be sure to take a soil sample and send it to be tested at a qualified soil testing facility. Follow any recommendations made or apply any amendments to the soil, the fall previous to planting gooseberries or currants. Eliminate any guesswork regarding existing soil nutrients or any lack thereof, and determine the trends of the soil pH to move up, down or remain the same. Always take a soil sample and use the soil test as a guide before applying any lime, sulfur or fertilizers. Soil amendments and fertilizer applications should always be based on the results of a soil test.
New plants should be planted out into the garden in mid- to late-September or in early spring, when the plants are dormant. Place plants 4'- 5' apart. If planted in rows, allow 8' between rows. Before planting, prune off damaged roots and cut the tops back 6"-10". Both gooseberry and currant plants may be planted slightly deep, so the lowest branches are just below the soil line. Slightly cover the lower branches to encourage the development of a larger root system and initiate numerous renewal canes.
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Selection of Cultivars
Although red, white, and black types of currants are available, red currants are the most popular in Ohio. Recommended red currant cultivars are ‘Wilder’, ‘Red Lake,’ and ‘Redstart.’
Only the black currant cultivars of 'Consort,' 'Crusader' and 'Titania' are hybrids that are recommended for use in Ohio. All other black currant cultivars will serve as the alternate host for white pine blister rust, a serious fungal disease that attacks white pines and other five-needled pines. No currants or gooseberries should be planted within 900 feet of white pine trees or within 1,500 feet of any nursery where white pine seedlings are grown.
There are both American and European cultivars of gooseberries. American cultivars are favored in Ohio since the European cultivars are more susceptible to the powdery mildew fungus. Recommended cultivars and fruit color are ‘Poorman’ (pinkish red), ‘Downing’ (green), and ‘Pixwell’ (dark red). A vigorous, mature currant bush produces four to six quarts or nine pounds of fruit, and a gooseberry bush produces about 12 pounds of fruit. Both currants and gooseberries begin to bear fruit consistently when they are three years old. Currants and gooseberries have a productive life of 15 to 25 years when they are pruned regularly to constantly invigorate growth.
Purchase plants from reputable nurseries. Choose vigorous, well-rooted, one or two-year old plants. Both species are self-fruitful and do not require additional cultivars as pollinators to produce fruit.
More Information
Books and Papers
- Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings, by The Ohio State University Extension
Web Sites
- Currants and Gooseberries, The Ohio State University
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