Ben Sarek

Ben Sarek is one of the original blackcurrants developed in the 1980s by the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI), now known as the James Hutton Institute. Specifically intended to meet the needs of growers in the UK, it is heavy-cropping, disease-resistant, and can tolerate spring frosts.

It produces large blackcurrants, ready for picking early in the season, from early July.

Ben Sarek characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Fruit persistenceRipens over a period
• Self-fertile?Self-fertile
• Pick seasonEarly
• Keeping1-3 days
• Food usesEating freshCulinary
• PruningPrune hard
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Period of origin1950 - 1999
• Fruit colourBlack

More about currant bushes

Black currants, red currants and white currants all belong to the genus Ribes and are closely related.

All currants do best if planted in a sunny sheltered spot. We recommend you cut the plants back at the time of planting to help establishment.

Most currant bushes can be expected to start cropping in the second summer after planting. Unlike blackberries and raspberries, where harvesting continues over a period of many weeks, currants tend to ripen all at once and the picking season is usually 1-2 weeks.

All currants are reliably self-fertile, so you only need a single plant. However you will get a bigger crop if you plant a mix of 2-3 different varieties for cross-pollination - preferably of the same type of currant, although blackcurrants, whitecurrants and redcurrants will cross-pollinate each other.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants are perhaps the most widely-grown currant bushes. Traditional blackcurrants have a characteristic acidic pungency - which you know is good for you, but can be a bit of an acquired taste. Fortunately modern varieties have tamed that aggressive flavour, and are much sweeter and more palatable, and can readily be eaten fresh - although blackcurrants are more commonly used in the kitchen where their strong flavour makes them very versatile.

As well as being a well-known source of vitamin C, blackcurrants have very high levels of antioxidants, from the anthocyanin pigments which give them their black colouring.

Blackcurrant bushes are well-suited to the UK climate, and are easy to grow, but do best in well-drained soils. They typically reach a mature size of about 1.5m and 1m spread.

Blackcurrants produce fruit on shoots that are 1-3 years old, and grow best when trained as an open-centre vase shape. Therefore you should prune the bush each winter to ensure a steady supply of new shoots. The main task is to remove about a third of all the shoots that are 4 years or older - cut them out at ground level. You can also remove damaged or weak shoots, aiming to achieve a balanced vase shape.

Redcurrants

Redcurrants (Ribes rubrum) are small red berries that grow in clusters. They have a simple tangy flavour, and can be used in the same way as blackcurrants.

Redcurrant bushes are also easy to grow in the UK climate, and like blackcurrants they do best in well-drained soils.

Redcurrants fruit on secondary shoots growing from a permanent branch structure. They are usually grown as open-centre bushes. However, unlike blackcurrants, redcurrants are very suitable for training into more decorative forms, including fans and cordons.

Whitecurrants

Whitecurrants are a sub-species of redcurrant ((Ribes rubrum sativum) and apart from the different colour they are otherwise very similar. Whitecurrants have a sweeter flavour than redcurrants, reminscent of grapes, and are more pleasant to eat fresh..