When to plant Redcurrants
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude โ they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Overwinters outdoors in a temperate garden.
Practical notes
Unlike blackcurrant it fruits on old wood spurs, so prune to an open goblet on a short leg and shorten side shoots โ never cut it to the ground. Happy on a north-facing wall.
Knowing when to pick
Pick whole strigs when every berry is translucent scarlet โ running a fork down the strig strips them cleanly.
Storing the crop
Five days in the fridge. Exceptionally high in pectin, so it is the fruit to add to any jam that will not set.
Crop rotation
No strict rotation group โ still avoid replanting into the same soil year after year.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: redcurrants diseases and pests (4) โ with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.