Top Hat Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Top Hat Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Vaccinium x Top Hat

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Top Hat 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.

Top Hat Blueberry is ideal for decks, patios, and small yards. This compact blueberry produces loads of good tasting berries early in the summer. This variety's berries are well suited for baking.

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

We recommend planting Top Hat Blueberry into the ground or into planters that have at least 5 gallons of soil per plant for the best results. Do not plant them into pots (voids your guarantee).

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

Top Hat Blueberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 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: orange-red
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: large clusters of blue berries
Fruit size: medium
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: good
Harvest: mid-summer
Harvest: early to mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant