Northblue Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Northblue Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Vaccinium x Northblue

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Northblue Blueberry

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.

Northblue Blueberry produces the best tasting of the half-high blueberries we carry. It's a cross between a highbush and a lowbush variety, which makes it suitable for smaller yards. For its size, Northblue Blueberry produces abundant quantities of large, firm berries. They are sweet and juicy.

While this variety is self-pollinating, we recommend pairing it with another suitable blueberry to increase the berry production of both varieties.

Note: Blueberries require very specific soil conditions. They need well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.0. If the starting pH of your soil is between 5.1 and 6.2 you can lower it by adding sulfur. We recommend against planting blueberries in soil with a starting pH greater than 6.2. Please do your own research before buying any blueberry plants.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Northblue Blueberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
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
Fall colour: dark red
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: large clusters of blue berries
Fruit size: large
Firmness: firmer
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: sweet/juicy
Harvest: mid-summer
Harvest: mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant