How to create a planting site suitable for currants on different soil types

Ideally, one would grow currants on good and well drained garden loam. But what to do if your garden is on clay, sand, or worse, wet soils. Should you give up growing currants and gooseberries? Of course not!

I have on my property all of the above mentioned soils and am able to grow currants and gooseberries just fine. If you have less than ideal growing condition, don’t give up. With some efforts and garden tricks you still can grow currants and gooseberries and have a good harvest.

Before planting

If you have decided on a permanent location for your currant or gooseberry bush, dig a big enough hole about  2 feet deep by 3 feet in diameter.

1. If you are planting in sandy soil.

Put a lot of peat moss on the bottom of the hole (not less than ½ foot) for moisture retention. Sandy soils have a very good drainage and lose water very quickly. Then fill the hole with garden soil. I prefer Miracle Gro Garden Soil For Trees and Shrubs or Miracle Gro Garden Soil For Flowers and Vegetables. Put the young bareroot plant you received from the nursery in the prepared soil. Cut the cane close to the ground leaving only 2 to 3 buds above ground level. Put about 1-2  inches of mulch around the plant. If you are transplanting a  bush from a container, plant the bush as is without cutting.

2. If you are planting in clay soil.

Fill the hole with garden soil combined with peat moss for water absorption. Clay soils have a very poor drainage and you need peat moss for absorption of extra moisture. Peat moss absorbs extra moisture.  From my experience I found out that a good combination of garden soil and peat moss would be three parts garden soil and one part peat moss. You can also use Miracle Gro Moisture Control Garden soil. Plant and mulch as previously described.

3. If you are planting in wet soil.

It requires more work, but it is possible to grow your bushes. Currants and gooseberries do not like soils which are waterlogged for a long time. I have sites that are waterlogged in the Spring. At other times these sites are slightly wet or even dry. I was able to make this sites suitable for growing currants and gooseberries. This is how I did it: First, dig a hole more than two feet deep. Second, put about ½-foot to 1 foot of sand at the bottom of the planting hole for drainage. Third, put at least ½ foot of peat moss for water absorption. Fourth,  fill the hole with Miracle Gro Moisture Control Garden Soil or make a mix of soils yourself (4 parts soil and 1 part peat moss).  You will create a suitable site for currants and gooseberries.

Also, dig a drainage channel close to the bushes. How close depends on the site of planting. In my case, I determined where the water flows  naturally and dug a channel there. I would say 4 feet from the bush.  In another method, you can raise the soils in that particular location and dig a drainage channel nearby.

Black currants are moisture-loving plants and will tolerate wet soils better than red currants, but I have grown red currants in wet soils using the method described above. If you have a choice, put blackcurrants on the moist site and red somewhere on the drier site. I treat gooseberries the same way as red currants.

When you have plants on the moist soils, pay particular attention to the fungicide regiment.. On wet soils the moisture creates good conditions for the fungus growth.

First year red currant plant is growing cheerfully in a growing site created on wet soil.

Every year in the Spring when bushes are dormant I put compost or other rich organic matter around the bushes in a radius of at least two to three feet. The poor soils will eventually mix with good organic matter and overtime you will have a nice enough soil around the bushes. I have never tried to grow currants in the completely swampy soils. However, I have found on my property feral currants and gooseberries growing in a very swampy soil, so it is possible for them to grow. Since you are counting on a good harvest, better not to go to extremes and create the best possible growing conditions.

Summary:

From my experience I found that by replacing clay, sandy or wet soil at the planting site and improving drainage, if needed, it is possible to create suitable growing conditions for currants and gooseberries. It is cost effective (you don’t need to improve one or two acres at a time, only a few feet) and it works.