Red Currants in Containers - bare root stock or potted?

johnbaron

Good morning all, 

First a quick hello, Hello! I'm new to gardening, bought my first house three years ago and grew in big tubs on the patio for the first two years and last summer dug up some of the lawn for a 3.5x3.5m veggie patch. Had some success with chilis, beetroot, spinach and beans and no sucess with peas or butternut squash (which just broke in to next doors garden...) 

This year I want to add in some soft fruit, namely red currants to make jam. The only spot I really have is back on the patio in containers against a fence, sheltered by gets sun until mid/late afternoon. 

I read the red currants have fairly shallow roots and 40-50cm deep containers should be fine. I have ordered a 40x40x180cm planter (which fits the space) in which I was intending to grow three red currant bushes. 

Questions: 

1) Would it be best to plant bare root stock or ready potted bushes?

2) Should I go for cordon bushes or just normal bushes and reduce the number of stems? 

3) Everywhere seems to sell Rovada is this typical and a go variety to go for? I'm only growing them with the intention of making jam. 

4) Is there a go to supplier? (Or any to avoid?)

All and any advice appreciated. 

Kind regards

John 

pansyface

GLAD YOU LIKE RED CURRANTS. SO DO I. BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THEY GROW AND HOW MUCH JAM YOU WILL END UP WITH IF YOU BUY THREE PLANTS?

I HAVE THREE. THEY ARE EACH ABOUT SIX FEET TALL BY AS MUCH ACROSS. I HAVE REDCURRANTS COMING OUT OF MY EARS EVERY SUMMER.  I HAVE SO MANY THAT I DON’T BOTHER TO NET THEM AGAINST THE BIRDS AND WE STILL HAVE JARS OF JELLY WITH “2015” ON THE LIDS.

BUY ANY OLD VARIETY. THEY ARE ALL GOERS.

BUT I DON’T THINK EVEN ONE WILL LAST LONG IN A PLANTER. TOO BIG, TOO TOP HEAVY.

(CAN I POST YOU SOME JARS OF JAM?) 

Palaisglide

Red Currants can be grown in containers although the pots need plenty of drain holes and drainage (broken pottery in the base) as the roots can rot if left too wet. If you keep them in pots they will need a feed at least every ten to fourteen days in the growing season. At the end of the growing season reduce plants by a quarter in height for the winter then prune correctly in Spring. The fruit grows on old wood so be careful how you prune, very old branches and weak ones can be cut away. The pruning can be a bit technical in you prune down to an up growing bud on the opposite side of the branch to last year this keeps them growing upwards, I think if you Googled pruning you would find it easier than it sounds.

Putting them in the ground is best, dig your hole and enrich with good compost, heel in water well and mulch, they will need a good feed now and then granular fertiliser or compost mulch and we always cut out inward facing shoots and any weak growth remember the fruit grows on old wood. once the buds show you can prune again to the best ones at the same time reducing the height of the bush. We had Black Red and White currants which bottled lasted us through winter, in those days we did not have fruit from all over the world it was what you got from the garden or the hedgerows hence the bottling the jam and the many fruit pies we ate with custard or cream. I guess we had no worries about being over size in those days and diets were unheard off.

Frank.

UpNorth

I have grown bare root strawberrries and bareroot Autumn raspberries and both grew very well in first year, so wouldn't hesitate to buy bare root.  

Lily Pilly

I have grown red currants for years. One bush meets our needs. I freeze them as harvesting cant be planned.  You have to beat the first bird, they can denude a Bush in one night so have netting plan.

johnbaron

Thanks for the comments. I would put the in the ground if I had a suitable space, unfortunately I'm limited with sun direction and a low hedge between My garden and the next (where I have already planted two apple trees. So patio on a planter against the fence it is. Hopefully should be sheltered enough and the planter with soil should weigh over 300kg so I think it shouldnt tip easily, I'll put some supports in if not. 

Will red currants really produce that much fruit? They are going to be up against the fence so I'll be trying to keep them <6' and not to 'bushy' away from the fence hence why I don't know if I should grow cordons? 

Maybe two red currants and a raspberry then? 

Dovefromabove

I would go for two red currants and one white (love white currants) ... and grow cordons ... you'd probably have room for a couple of gooseberry cordons as well ...... they take up much less space and are very productive.  

Raspberries can be rampant ....... I know ... I'm trying to keep ours in check and fighting a losing battle! 

Palaisglide

If you plant or position a pot up against a fence then a cordon would be best. It depends if you want one or two climbing stems (leaders), one takes little room but two will need breathing space. The pruning is very exact with a cordon keeping leaf growth to a minimum and allowing the fruit to get plenty of sunshine. Two plants with a single stem will give you all the fruit you can eat we also grew Gooseberries I loved the pies because ripened on the bush they were sweet and soft unlike the bullets you buy in shops. My advice would be get them in position then read up on the pruning as there are many views on how to do it, you do get the feel of the plant though and learn to prune to suit the plant and how much fruit you want.

Frank.

pansyface

HERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PAGE FROM MY WONDERFUL BOOK “GROWING FRUIT” BY HARRY BAKER.

I RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE BUYS A COPY OF THIS BOOK. IT IS MARVELLOUS.

GOOSEBERRIES AND RED AND WHITE CURRANTS ARE ALL GROWN IN THE SAME WAY.

YES, IF YOU HAVE SPACE FOR RASPS, GROW SOME BUT THEY DO WANDER. MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR HAS A GOODLY PATCH OF MINE WHICH CREPT UNDER THE FENCE.

SORRY, I DON’T KNOW WHY IT IS UPSIDE DOWN.

Last edited: 15 February 2018 14:01:08

UpNorth

does this help

Also to enlarge, try holding down the "CTRL" button on your keyboard and move your mouse scroll wheel a bit...it will zoom the browser.

Last edited: 15 February 2018 14:06:27

pansyface

SMART ARSE.

P.S. NO CONTROL BUTTON ON AN IPAD....

Last edited: 15 February 2018 14:07:18