Shrub · Grossulariaceae
Currant
Ribes rubrum
Hardy, forgiving, and loaded with tart little berries, the currant rewards even a first-time gardener in a cool spot.
Full sun
Every 5–7 days
USDA 3–7
3–6 ft · 0.9–1.8 m
Overview
The currant is a small deciduous shrub that gives you clusters of glossy berries hanging out in early summer, and it really is a gentle plant to begin with. It sits in the genus Ribes alongside the gooseberry, and the garden kinds split into the bright red and pale white forms of Ribes rubrum and the darker, muskier black currant, Ribes nigrum. Straight off the bush the fruit tastes sharp and tart, which is exactly why most of it goes happily into jam, jelly, juice, or a pie.
If your garden runs cold, you are in luck, because this plant loves it. It comes through winters down to -40°F (-40°C) without complaint and crops well in the cool, short summers of USDA zones 3 to 7, where touchier fruit gives up. The bush stays manageable at 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall, takes a fair amount of shade, and settles in to live for years.
There is just one thing to sort out before you plant. Currants are an alternate host for white pine blister rust, a disease that needs both a currant and a five-needle white pine to complete its cycle, so a few states still limit planting, with black currant restricted most of all. A quick check of the local rules and a planting spot kept away from white pines, and you will find the currant is one of the kindest fruits a beginner can grow.
Care
The short version: give it full sun to part shade, rich well-drained soil kept evenly moist with about an inch of water a week, and one gentle late-winter prune each year to keep the canes young and the berries coming.
Light
Currants are happiest in full sun, which ripens the fullest crop, but do not fret if your spot is shadier, since they handle partial sun and even partial shade better than most fruit. Where summers run hot, a little afternoon shade is a kindness that keeps those shallow roots from cooking.
Water
Aim to give about 1 inch of water a week, and take special care not to let the bush go dry while the fruit is setting. The roots sit shallow and fibrous, so a comfy layer of mulch does a lot of the work for you, holding moisture and keeping the soil cool.
Soil
Set your currant into rich, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter mixed through, and it will thank you. A slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 is the sweet spot.
Temperature
This is a genuinely tough, cold-loving shrub that shrugs off winters as low as -40°F (-40°C) and copes with summer warmth up to around 86°F (30°C). It gives you its best fruit where the summers stay on the cool side.
Humidity
Ordinary humidity around 40% to 60% is perfectly fine, so there is nothing to fuss over here. What helps more is air moving freely through the bush, because still, damp growth is where mildew and rust like to start.
Feeding
A single feed a year is all it asks, given in late fall or early spring as a few shovelfuls of composted manure or a balanced nitrogen source per plant. Scatter it around the bush rather than tipping it into the planting hole, where it could burn those tender roots.
Pruning
Prune once a year in late winter while the bush is asleep, and try not to worry, because it is forgiving. Fruit forms on 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old wood, so simply keep 3 to 4 canes of each age and trim out anything older than 3 years to let the bush keep renewing itself.
Repotting
Currants almost always live in the ground and rarely need repotting, so most growers can skip this entirely. If yours is in a container, move it up every 2 to 3 years while dormant, or a little sooner if you notice roots circling or the pot drying out fast.
Size & spacing
A grown bush reaches 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall and spreads 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm) wide, so picture that when you choose a home for it. Give each plant that breathing room and air will flow through nicely, which keeps disease at bay.
When to plant
Currants follow an easy cool-season rhythm, and you have plenty of room for error. Tuck dormant plants in during late fall or early spring, enjoy the soft greenish flowers in April and May, and gather ripe berries through June and July.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Late fall or early spring while plants are dormant, using 1- or 2-year-old stock
- Harvest: Greenish flowers in spring (April to May); berries ripen June to July
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–7
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Take heart, because most currant troubles are easy to spot and even easier to set right. The bush tends to warn you early, so a little watching goes a long way. Get to know the few common issues below and you can step in calmly, long before anything gets out of hand.
Orange flecks on leaves that fall too soon
Those yellow-orange pustules and the early leaf drop point to white pine blister rust, and the currant is only half the tale. The fungus has to reach a five-needle white pine to finish its life cycle, so a sick bush can pass the trouble along to nearby pines. Pull out any badly infected plants without guilt, keep your currants well clear of white pines, and lean on resistant or immune cultivars for an easier time.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy heavily infected Ribes plants
- Plant rust-resistant or immune cultivars
- Keep currants away from white pines
A soft white dust on leaves and young tips
If you spot a pale, powdery film coating the leaves and warping the new shoots, that is powdery mildew, a fungus that loves crowded, shaded growth. Do not panic, because opening the bush up with a little pruning lets air move through and settles things down, and you can simply snip away the worst-coated tips. Save a labeled fungicide for the rare case when the infection truly gets away from you.
Fix:
- Prune to open the canopy for airflow
- Remove and destroy infected shoot tips
- Apply a labeled fungicide only if infection is severe
One cane wilting from a hollow center
When a single cane wilts and dies back while the rest of the bush looks just fine, the likely culprit is the currant borer, a clearwing moth larva tunneling through the middle. Slice open a dying cane and you will find the telltale hollow channel inside. Prune the affected canes right down to the ground and burn them, and refresh the bush each year by clearing out the old wood the borers like best.
Fix:
- Prune out and destroy infested canes to the ground
Reddish, puckered blisters on spring leaves
Those red welts riding on top of the leaf are the doing of the currant aphid quietly feeding below. Flip a leaf over and you will likely see the little colonies gathered along the veins. A gentle spray of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on the undersides clears them up, and friendly ladybugs and other predators will happily finish the job.
Fix:
- Spray insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on undersides
- Encourage beneficial predators such as ladybugs
Toxicity
You can relax with this one. The true garden currant is friendly all round, its berries are a food crop, and neither fruit nor foliage will poison your pets, your livestock, or your family. The only thing to keep an eye on is unrelated: the dried 'currants' sold for baking are really small raisins, and grapes and raisins do harm dogs, so just sweep those off the floor.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
The true Ribes currant poses no danger to cats. Most cats walk right past the shrub anyway, and a nibbled leaf does no harm at all.
Dogs Safe
Both the living plant and its fresh berries are safe for dogs. A dog that overdoes it on fruit might get a brief bout of loose stool, but nothing worse than that.
Horses Safe
Horses can browse the foliage with no trouble, since nothing in the currant bush is poisonous to them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can nibble the leaves and fruit safely. Just keep the treats modest, since too much sweet fruit can unsettle a small tummy.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep come to no harm from the plant and can graze around it freely.
Birds Safe
Birds adore ripe currants, and the berries are good for them, so net the bush if you would like to keep a share of the crop for yourself.
People Safe
The berries are a real food crop for people, eaten fresh or cooked into jams, jellies, and juice. There is honestly nothing here to worry about.
No special handling needed for the living Ribes shrub or its fresh berries.
Varieties
Currants come in cheerful reds, pale whites, and deep blacks, along with a few named kinds that are nice to know. Here are the ones you are most likely to bring home.
Black currant (Ribes nigrum)
A close cousin grown for its aromatic, musky black berries, this one catches white pine blister rust far more easily than red currant, so a few US states restrict or ban it outright.
White currant
A pale, almost see-through version of Ribes rubrum that wins people over with a sweeter, milder flavor than the red type.
Red Lake
A generous red currant that drapes its bright fruit in long clusters called strigs, and it shows up in more home gardens than nearly any other.
Titania
A vigorous black-currant type that reaches around 6 feet and brushes off disease better than most, which makes it a comforting choice.
Companions
Currants get along with their fellow Ribes but should be kept clear of white pines, which they trade a serious disease with.
Plant near
Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa): A fellow Ribes with the same cool-climate, partial-shade-tolerant culture, so it grows easily alongside currants under matching care.
Keep apart
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus): Ribes is the alternate host for white pine blister rust; planting currants near 5-needle white pines spreads the disease to the pines.
How to propagate
Making more currants is wonderfully simple, and the best part is that both easy methods give you young plants that copy the parent exactly.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Take dormant hardwood cuttings in late winter; semi-hardwood cuttings can be taken mid-July to first freeze · Roots form within one growing season; a transplantable plant in 1 to 2 years
Cuttings are the usual, friendly way to make more currants, and the new plants grow true to the parent. In late winter, take 8 to 10 inch lengths of mature, dormant wood, or softer semi-hardwood pieces from mid-July to the first freeze. They root over a single growing season and are ready to move on as young plants in 1 to 2 years, so a little patience pays off.
LayeringEasy
Spring through summer · Rooted layers ready to sever the following dormant season
Layering is even gentler and hard to get wrong. Bend a low outer branch down and pin it to the soil any time from spring through summer, and it quietly puts down roots right where it meets the ground. Cut the new plant free from its parent the following dormant season, and you have another currant for nothing.
Myths
Currants must be dangerous to dogs because dried currants are toxic.
This worry comes from a shared name, so you can set it aside. Those dried 'Zante currants' on the baking shelf are really raisins made from tiny Corinth grapes, and yes, raisins do harm dogs. The true garden currants in the genus Ribes, red, white, and black alike, are a completely different plant and are safe.
Growing any currant is against the law in the United States.
Good news, because the old federal ban that once aimed to slow white pine blister rust was lifted all the way back in 1966. These days it comes down to your own state's rules, and it is black currant (Ribes nigrum) that draws the most restrictions, since it carries the rust more readily than the red or white kinds.