Trader Mulberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Trader Mulberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Morus x Trader

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

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Ben Sarek Black Currant

The Trader Mulberry is a rare find. Named for the Trader family who brought the mulberry from Germany when they immigrated to the U.S. in 1982 and planted the original tree at their new homestead in North Dakota. This tree still bears fruit today! Similar to the Illinois Everbearing, but more winter hardy, this mulberry is a cross between white and red mulberry trees. This vigourous tree will produce large, sweet-tasting, virtually-seedless, black fruit throughout the entire summer and is great for fresh eating, jams, and wine. Do not plant near walkways or driveways as the berries can stain.

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.

Trader Mulberry Quick Facts

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3b
Zone: 3a
Height: 15 m (50 ft)
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: long
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black seedless, large
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: Early July - Early September
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: mulberry, red mulberry
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant