Harvesting Currant Plants
Are you ready to enjoy delicious homegrown fruit? Harvest is the time to enjoy the results of your hard work. Keep a few things in consideration as you reap the fruits of your labor: the best time to pick the fruit, and how to store your harvest
NOTE: This is part 9 in a series of 9 articles. For a complete background on how to grow currant plants, we recommend starting from the beginning.
Harvesting
- Most red currant bushes can produce around 2 pounds of berries annually, a black currant bush can yield about 4 pounds. To maximize your yield, try growing your bushes in full sun rather than shade.
- Harvest season for currants typically falls in early summer. Red currant bushes are ready for harvest in late May to early June, a black currant can ripen about 2-3 weeks later.
- When harvesting currants, pick the entire bunch once all the berries are ripe, like grapes. Then remove each berry from the stem before eating or processing.