Last Updated on March 6, 2026 by Thompson & Morgan Horticultural Team

Image: Blackcurrant ‘Ben Alder’ from T&M

Blackcurrants are one of the easiest soft fruits to grow and, once established, continue to crop for about 15 years. Here’s how to choose the best variety for your garden, as well as tips on planting and caring for these flavour-packed fruit plants. 

Browse our full range of currant plants for more inspiration.

When and where to plant blackcurrants

‘Big Ben’ produces larger than average fruits
Image: Blackcurrant ‘Big Ben’ from T&M

Bare root blackcurrant varieties are available to buy and plant between November and March, while pot-grown varieties can be bought and planted all year round.

Bare root plants are a cost-effective option, lifted from the ground while dormant and sold without any soil on their roots. If you buy your bare roots from T&M, you’ll receive an established, healthy 1-year old plant that has been pre-pruned so that it establishes quickly.

Blackcurrants prefer a sunny spot, but some varieties can tolerate partial shade. Choose your site carefully and avoid frost pockets or exposed locations where the blossom could be damaged.

If you’re growing one of the more compact blackcurrant bushes in a container, choose a deep pot, and make sure you re-pot it every 2-3 years.

How to plant blackcurrant bushes

Blackcurrants planted in the ground
Image: Customer Image (© Eileen Perkins)

Blackcurrant shrubs throw up 6-8 upright stems from the base and grow to a height and width of about 1.5m. If you want to grow them in containers, choose one of the more compact varieties, like Blackcurrant ‘Ben Sarek’.

They do best in well-drained but moisture-retaining soil. Remove all the weeds in the area and dig in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure before planting.

• Dig a large hole, twice as wide as the rootball so you can spread the roots out.
• Plant your bush slightly deeper than it was growing before, to encourage strong shoots to develop from the base.
• Back-fill the hole and firm well.
• Water thoroughly.
• Space your plants at least 1.5m apart to allow air to circulate.
• Mulch well to retain moisture.
• Prune immediately, if not already done.

How to care for blackcurrant bushes

Blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan’ growing in containers
Image: Customer Image (© Anne Strange)

Blackcurrant bushes flower early in the season, usually between April and May, which makes the blossom susceptible to late frost. If the temperature drops, be sure to protect the flowers with fleece.

Blackcurrants thrive in consistently moist soil. Keep your blackcurrant plants well watered during dry periods and especially when the fruit is developing. This is particularly important for container-grown plants which are more prone to suffer from drought. However, avoid over watering while the fruits are ripening or the skins might split.

If you apply a thick mulch every spring, you shoudn’t need to feed blackcurrant plants that are growing in the ground. Container-grown plants will benefit from a sprinkle of chicken manure pellets in spring, before a layer of fresh mulch.

How to prune blackcurrant bushes

Blackcurrant bushes require annual pruning. Here’s how:

• Immediately after planting, cut the stems back to one bud above the ground level or to a strong shoot.
• After the first season, prune out any thin or weak shoots.
• In the following years, prune out any damaged or weak shoots before removing 20% of the remaining stems to create an ‘open’ shape and encourage new growth.
• If your bush is healthy but struggling to produce many shoots, cut the whole plant back to ground level. Blackcurrant bushes generally rejuvenate well if fed and mulched.

Blackcurrant pests and diseases

Birds are the biggest threat to your crops – cover your blackcurrant bushes with nets to protect the fruit from birds, so that you can start harvesting them from July.

Watch out for blackcurrant gall midge, where tiny white maggots feed on shoot tips. You’ll be able to see the maggots and, if you spot them early enough, you should be able to remove the infested leaves. Be careful that you don’t remove too many, otherwise you’ll reduce the harvest. Blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan’ is resistant to gall midge.

Big bud mite can also be a problem for blackcurrants. You’re most likely to see evidence of it in the winter – infested buds will be abnormally swollen, whereas healthy buds are pointed and long. There are no chemical controls against big bud mite, and any infected plants should be destroyed and replaced with new ‘certified stock’ plants.

How to choose the best blackcurrant variety

Blackcurrant ‘Ben Sarek’ produces exceptionally high yields
Image: Blackcurrant ‘Ben Sarek’ from T&M

Blackcurrants contain more vitamin C than oranges and have a huge number of health benefits, yet this wonderful homegrown superfood is rarely available to buy in supermarkets. Unlike traditional varieties, modern cultivars have been bred to resist disease and bloom later, to help the flowers avoid late frosts. These three varieties are particularly recommended by our horticultural team:

• Blackcurrant ‘Big Ben‘ is the largest blackcurrant we have ever seen – and with a lovely sweet flavour too. The large, glossy, strong-skinned fruits weigh on average 2.9g each, compared to a weight of 1.1g in standard varieties! The fruits are borne on naturally arching stems for easy picking and are sweet enough to be eaten fresh or used in cakes, jams and crumbles. Also has excellent mildew resistance!

• Blackcurrant ‘Ben Sarek’ is a neat and compact plant which produces exceptionally high yields. This outstanding dessert variety can be picked from mid-July and eaten straight from the bush when fully ripe. Reisistant to mildew, the fruits are produced on short strings that are easy to pick.

• Blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan’ is early cropping, from the beginning of July, and continues to produce fruit over a long period. From the second season onwards each plant will produce over 3.5kg (over 7lb) of fruit and will keep producing for up to 10 years. With excellent mildew resistance and good frost tolerance, this RHS AGM variety really has it all!

Want to try growing a wider range of high-yielding currant bushes including some of the unusual white, pink and red varieties? Visit our hub page for advice on everything you need to know about growing currants. Want to add a wider variety of fruit to your garden? See our complete fruit-growing guide here.