Self-Sufficient.co.uk
Find out more about Self Sufficiency
Latest Articles
Review of Haynes Chicken Manual
A review of this complete step-by-step guide to keeping chickens
livestock
10:21, 12th Mar 2010
Review of Making the Most of It
A review of the book Making the Most of It by Barrington Markham
books
10:16, 12th Mar 2010
Hunting Rabbit
Find out how to hunt for delicious rabbit
hunting
10:16, 12th Mar 2010
Vintage Cider Apples
Find out more growing your own vintage cider apples
fruits
09:57, 4th Mar 2010
Keeping Chickens
Find out more about the practicalities of keeping chickens
livestock
13:01, 23rd Feb 2009
Smallholding for Rent in Ireland
Rent a smallholding in County Clare, Ireland
smallholding
15:58, 16th Feb 2009
Small Holding For Sale in Slovenia
Buy a small holding in Slovenia and read the story of its current owner
smallholding
13:24, 29th Oct 2008
Why Buy a Polytunnel
Learn about Polytunnels and their benefits
building
17:12, 17th Sep 2008
Growing Redcurrants
Find out more about growing your own redcurrants
Growing Redcurrants
grow your own | fruits
Redcurrants are another of those fruit and vegetables which are very simple and inexpensive to grow, but which are so expensive to purchase in the supermarkets.
Redcurrants are delicious tart fruits which can be eaten fresh or cooked into sauces, preserves, and pies and other desserts. They are perfectly suited to the climate in the United Kingdom.
Growing Redcurrants
Currant bushes like a bit of sunshine, but strong sunshine can damage the leaves. Therefore look to plant currant bushes in a location with a bit of shade in the afternoon. Redcurrants are fast growing, with each bush growing to around 6 foot high and 6 foot wide.
One mature redcurrant bush can provide 10 pounds of redcurrants per year, so you do not need a lot of space in the garden to grow more redcurrants than you and your family can eat.
Planting a Redcurrant
Redcurrants are winter-hardy, cope well with shady damp conditions unsuitable for most fruits, and will grow in most soils. Two-year old bushes should be planted in late autumn when the plant is dormant. The roots of a red currant are quite fragile and need to be carefully spead out underground, so dig a big hole for the bush and carefully backfill with soil. Make sure you remove all perennial weeds before planting, as these are difficult to remove later without damaging the redcurrant's root system.Caring for Redcurrants
Redcurrant bushes have very fine shallow roots. Therefore it is essential to water them frequently. A porous pipe or dripper system is perfect as this will keep the roots moist without getting the foliage wet. If the plants are not kept well watered, they will grow less leaves, smaller leaves, and less fruit.Redcurrants should be well mulched to prevent moisture around the roots from evaporating, and also to suppress weeds. Well-rotted manure or compost will feed the redcurrants.
Flowers - which turn into fruit - grow only on one-, two-, and three- year old wood, therefore every autumn you should prune back all four year old wood (since this wood can never fruit again). Doing this each year will keep the bush healthy and keep it cropping heavily.
The redcurrants can be picked in mid-summer in delicious grape-like bunches of 8-12mm diameter fruits. If you have a problem with birds eating the fruit, cover the bush with netting.
Redcurrant Propagation
Redcurrants are very easy to propagate to give you new plants. One way is to plant foot long pieces of mature wood 3-4 inches deep in a pot of compost. Roots will grow from the wood under the soil giving you a new redcurrant bush.
Layering also works well in autumn and spring. Simply pick a low-growing cane and carefully bend it to the ground. Weigh it down with a rock to hold it in place,and cover it with soil. Again roots will grow from the stem creating a new redcurrant bush.
Buy Redcurrant Plants
Click here to go to our Buy Fruit Trees page which has numerous links to sellers of fruit trees and young soft fruit bushes.
Article Published: 09:02, 21st Jul 2008
Related Articles
Grow Strawberries in Hanging Baskets
Find out more about the benefits of growing strawberries in hanging baskets
Article Published: 08:25, 22nd Feb 2008
grow your own | fruits
Making Jam
An introduction to making your own jam
Article Published: 15:05, 7th Jul 2008
preserving | fruits | grow your own
Vintage Cider Apples
Find out more growing your own vintage cider apples
Article Published: 09:57, 4th Mar 2010
fruits | grow your own | preserving | foraging
Growing Rhubarb
Find out how to grow and care for rhubarb
Article Published: 14:59, 15th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Crop Rotation
Find out more about the importance of crop rotation
Article Published: 09:08, 5th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Raised Beds
Learn how to build and use raised growing beds.
Article Published: 17:13, 15th Apr 2006
grow your own
Making Compost
Find out how to make your own compost
Article Published: 14:40, 5th Apr 2006
grow your own | recycle
Companion Planting
Find out about the benefits of companion planting
Article Published: 09:27, 12th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Growing Garlic
Find out how to grow your own garlic
Article Published: 13:19, 5th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Make Newspaper Plant Pots
Find out how to make your own environmentally friendly plant pots from newspaper
Article Published: 12:39, 5th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables