Chippewa Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Chippewa Blueberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Vaccinium x Chippewa

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Chippewa 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.

Chippewa Blueberry is the perfect shrub for attracting birds and butterflies. Incredibly cold-hardy, the Chippewa Blueberry is an upright shrub making it easy for harvesting. Known for producing high yields of large blue-colored berries, this blueberry is a favourite for fresh eating, baking, and preserves. As with all blueberries, the Chippewa needs soil with a low pH and high acidity.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Chippewa Blueberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 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, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Fall colour: red and orange
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: white, pink tinged
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: edible blue
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: sweet, juicy
Harvest: mid-summer
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: chippewa half high blueberry, half high blueberry