Firecracker Goji Berry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Firecracker Goji Berry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Lycium barbarum Firecracker

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Firecracker Goji Berry

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 Firecracker Goji Berry is a thornless cultivar of the Goji Berry that is known for its sweet red berries. This deciduous perennial produces purple flowers from June through September, with fruit maturation taking place between August and October. Fruit production typically starts in the second year of growth with maximum production in the fourth and fifth year.

Firecracker Goji Berry berries are delicious, nutrient rich, high in antioxidants, and are often called a super fruit. Many describe the Firecracker as sweeter than other cultivars.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Firecracker Goji Berry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 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
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Foliage: evergreen
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: purple
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Fruit: edible
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: red
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: mid-summer
Harvest: June - September
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: goji berry firecracker