Shrub · Grossulariaceae
Currant
Ribes rubrum
Tough, cold-hardy, and heavy with tart berries, the currant earns its keep in a cool-climate garden.
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 grown for the clusters of glossy berries it hangs out in early summer. It belongs to the genus Ribes, the same group as 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. The fruit is sharp and tart off the bush, which is why most of it ends up in jam, jelly, juice, or a pie.
Cold suits this plant. It shrugs off winters down to -40°F (-40°C) and crops well in the cool, short summers of USDA zones 3 to 7, where fussier fruit struggles. The bush stays compact at 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall, takes a fair amount of shade, and lives for years once it settles in.
One catch shapes where you can plant it. 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 some states still restrict planting, black currant most of all. Check the local rules first, keep the bushes away from white pines, and the currant is otherwise one of the easiest fruits a beginner can grow.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade, rich and well-drained soil kept evenly moist with about an inch of water a week, and an annual late-winter pruning to keep the canes young and the fruit coming.
Light
Currants do best in full sun, which ripens the heaviest crop, but they tolerate partial sun and even partial shade better than most fruit. In hot-summer spots a little afternoon shade keeps the shallow roots from cooking.
Water
Give about 1 inch of water a week and don't let the bush dry out while the fruit is setting. The roots are shallow and fibrous, so a layer of mulch goes a long way to hold moisture and keep the soil cool.
Soil
Plant in rich, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter worked in. A slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 suits currants best.
Temperature
This is a genuinely cold-hardy shrub, taking winters as low as -40°F (-40°C) and tolerating summer heat up to about 86°F (30°C). It fruits best where summers stay cool.
Humidity
Average humidity around 40% to 60% is fine. What matters more is air moving freely through the bush, since stagnant, damp growth is where mildew and rust take hold.
Feeding
Feed once a year, in late fall or early spring, with a few shovelfuls of composted manure or a balanced nitrogen source per plant. Spread it around the bush rather than dropping it in the planting hole, where it can burn the roots.
Pruning
Prune every year in late winter while the bush is dormant. Fruit forms on 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old wood, so keep 3 to 4 canes of each age and cut out anything older than 3 years to keep the bush renewing itself.
Repotting
Currants are nearly always grown in the ground and rarely need repotting. A container-grown plant should be moved up every 2 to 3 years while dormant, sooner if the roots start circling or the pot dries out fast.
Size & spacing
A mature bush reaches 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall and spreads 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm) wide. Give each plant that much room so air can move through and disease stays down.
When to plant
Currants run on a cool-season clock. Set out dormant plants in late fall or early spring, watch for greenish flowers in April and May, and pick the 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
Most currant trouble shows up on the leaves and canes, and the bush usually tells you early. Learn the few common problems below and you can step in before any of them spreads. Match what you see, then act while it still does some good.
Orange pustules on the leaves with early leaf drop
These pustules are white pine blister rust, and the currant is only one half of the story. The fungus needs a five-needle white pine to finish its life cycle, so the bush hands the disease to nearby pines. Pull out badly infected plants, keep currants well away from white pines, and plant resistant or immune cultivars.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy heavily infected Ribes plants
- Plant rust-resistant or immune cultivars
- Keep currants away from white pines
White powdery film on leaves and shoot tips
This is powdery mildew, a fungus that settles on crowded, shaded growth and warps the new shoots. Open the bush up with pruning so air can move through it, and cut out the worst-coated tips. A labeled fungicide is worth reaching for only when the infection runs out of hand.
Fix:
- Prune to open the canopy for airflow
- Remove and destroy infected shoot tips
- Apply a labeled fungicide only if infection is severe
Whole canes wilting from a hollowed-out core
When a single cane wilts and dies while the rest of the bush looks fine, suspect the currant borer, the larva of a clearwing moth tunneling through the center. Slice a dying cane open and you'll see the hollow channel. Prune the infested canes right to the ground and burn them, and renew the bush each year by clearing out old wood the borers favor.
Fix:
- Prune out and destroy infested canes to the ground
Red, puckered blisters on spring leaves
The red welts on the upper leaf are the work of the currant aphid feeding underneath. Turn a leaf over and you'll find the colonies clustered along the veins. Hit the undersides with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and let ladybugs and other predators mop up the rest.
Fix:
- Spray insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on undersides
- Encourage beneficial predators such as ladybugs
Toxicity
Good news here: the true garden currant is safe all round. The berries are a food crop, and neither the fruit nor the foliage poisons pets, livestock, or people. The only real warning has nothing to do with this plant, the dried 'currants' sold for baking are actually small raisins, and grapes and raisins do harm dogs, so keep those off the floor.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
The true Ribes currant is not toxic to cats. Most cats ignore the shrub anyway, and a nibbled leaf does no harm.
Dogs Safe
The living plant and its fresh berries are safe for dogs. A dog that gorges on a lot of fruit might get a passing bout of loose stool, nothing worse.
Horses Safe
Horses can browse the foliage without trouble, since nothing in the currant bush is poisonous to them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits may nibble the leaves and fruit safely. Keep treats modest, as too much of any sweet fruit can unsettle a small gut.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep are not harmed by the plant and can graze around it with no risk.
Birds Safe
Birds flock to ripe currants, and the berries are good for them. Net the bush if you want any of the crop left for yourself.
People Safe
The berries are a genuine food crop, eaten fresh or cooked into jams, jellies, and juice. There's nothing here to worry about.
No special handling needed for the living Ribes shrub or its fresh berries.
Varieties
Currants come in red, white, and black, plus a handful of named cultivars worth knowing. These are the ones you'll meet most often.
Black currant (Ribes nigrum)
A close cousin grown for its aromatic, musky black berries, it catches white pine blister rust far more readily than red currant and is restricted or banned outright in some US states.
White currant
A pale, see-through form of Ribes rubrum that tastes sweeter and milder than the red type.
Red Lake
A heavy-cropping red currant that hangs its bright fruit in long clusters, called strigs, and turns up in more gardens than almost any other.
Titania
A vigorous black-currant type that climbs to around 6 feet and shrugs off disease better than most.
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
Currants are simple to multiply, and both common methods give you new plants that match 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 way to make more currants, and they grow true to the parent. Take 8 to 10 inch lengths of mature, dormant wood in late winter, 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 plants in 1 to 2 years.
LayeringEasy
Spring through summer · Rooted layers ready to sever the following dormant season
Layering is even simpler. Bend a low outer branch down and pin it to the soil any time from spring through summer, and it puts down roots where it touches the ground. Cut the new plant free from its parent the following dormant season.
Myths
Currants are dangerous to dogs because dried currants are toxic.
The confusion comes down to a shared name. The dried 'Zante currants' sold for baking are really raisins made from tiny Corinth grapes, and those do harm dogs. True garden currants in the genus Ribes, red, white, and black, are a different plant entirely and are safe.
Growing any currant is illegal in the United States.
The old federal ban, put in place to slow white pine blister rust, was lifted back in 1966. Today the rules come down to your state, and it's black currant (Ribes nigrum) that draws the most restrictions, since it carries the rust more readily than the red or white kinds.