Ribes rubrum (ČERVENÝ / RED)

Currant is a well-known fruit cultivated mostly in Europe. It produces racemes with red or white berries in summer. It is grown as a wide bush or trained into a single stem or various other shapes which may make picking up easier. Very attractive are flat espaliers.

VARIETIES

Jonkheer van Tets is a red currant from the Netherlands. This famous variety has long racemes of bright red berries of excellent taste, only medium sour. Best grown as espalier because it is a rampant grower. Ripens in July.

Kozolupský raný is an early maturing Czech variety from 2003. It produces long, dense racemes of large red fruit of excellent taste from late June. It forms semi-upright, medium dense shrubs which don't need thinning of branches. Disease resistant. Registered in 2003.

Rovada is a late season variety of red currant. It produces masses of mid-sized racemes of brilliant red fruit in August. It makes a compact shrub about 1.5m tall. Heavy and reliable cropper.

CULTIVATION

It can take almost any soil but for best crop use fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade. In late spring and early summer aphids may be a problem – treat the plant without delay but beware that fruit ripens already in mid-summer so biological weapons are suggested. Pruning is possible in late winter. Canes older than 3 years should be removed to keep the plant juvenile. Usually small plants already set fruit but the best crop can be expected in the third year from planting. Fully hardy.

Last update 12-02-2011, 23-01-2012; 11-02-2016; 03-02-2019