Northern Red Currant vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Northern Red Currant vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Ribes triste

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Northern Red Currant

Ben Sarek Black Currant is a compact, high-yielding Black Currant cultivar, making it ideal for smaller gardens and easy berry picking. The large clusters of flavourful, sweet-tart berries ripen in mid-summer and are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, baked goods, and liqueurs. Plants may start producing some berries after two years, reaching full production in about four to five.

Developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Ben Sarek Black Currant is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to white pine blister rust. It is self-fertile, meaning it does not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

The Northern Red Currant is also known as the Swamp Red currant due to its preference for moist soil. As long as the soil is wet, this shrub can live in any degree of sunlight.

The currant itself is a bright red-purple berry enjoyed by many animals and some people for its sour flavour, similar to garden red currants. The flowers of this shrub are tiny and red or greenish-purple.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Northern Red Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.8 m (2.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: reddish or greenish purple
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: shiny, sour, bright red
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: swamp red currant