they should as they’re self-pollinating. i got about 75 pits in the freezer from my Romeo, Juliet and Carmine jewel ill be planting in my grow room soon.
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Reading through this thread from beginning to end, I note a caution about currants possibly restricted in your area. Definitely check.
My only contribution to this talk is experience growing black currants. I have had Ben More, Ben Sarek, Black September, Westwick, Risager, Laxton’s Giant and a bonus nameless currant that came from Raintree 15 years ago which I call Orphan. Orphan has full day sun & produces plenty of fruit, from decent to tiny. I tie the branches together loosely each spring until the canes harden a couple weeks before harvest.
In my locale Ben Sarek was an aphid magnet, offering a fraction of the crop of any other. After digging it out & putting Black September in that spot I realized it is in a rain shadow, too close to the eave. This year I will try a cutting of Black September somewhere else to see if it is worth keeping. Takes just 18 months to find out.
Ben More has been the workhorse in this yard.
Westwick turns black about 15 minutes before full ripeness, very shiny, productive but the most black currant taste of the lot.
All but Orphan appreciate afternoon shade in my spot, so putting them on the NW side of my apple trees works well, just at the edge of the dripline when the tree is big enough to create some shade.
For best results I twist off the woody calyx from each berry. Takes me 15 minutes per cup, but it is a labor of love, for black currant makes amazing jam & cordial. Pretty good for you, besides. So are home grown sour cherries, serviceberries (which grow wild in eastern WA) & gooseberries, from all I’ve heard & read.
When in doubt, give it a try. You never know what can change your life (how I feel about growing fruit in my yard now).
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i also love juicing mine. tastes like a complex concord grape juice. i use very little sugar its so rich. also do a aronia/ black currant juice/ jam thats also very good. no astrigency at all.
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When the two plum trees come into full production (Ersinger & Kirke’s blue) I want to try making wine with them blended with black currants.
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Ben More is a good black currant. I don’t ‘currently’ have it…but it’s self pollinating, disease free, upright, and all get ripe at once.
I’d try it again, but sold my previous plants at a profit.
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Those who grow josta berry, is this normal bark texture or am I dealing with scale of some sort? It is heavier on older wood which makes me wonder if this is the normal bark texture of aged wood.
Looks like scale infestation. Remove as much as you can and spray with appropriate insecticide. I use neem oil: 5 Tb neem oil + 2 Tsp Safer’s insecticidal soap/gal water.
How old is that cane? You should remove all canes older then 3 years.
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Thanks for the confirmation.
@lordkiwi , I didn’t know that. It’s 5…ish years. Is it best to prune dormant? I’ve passed that point.
No that is deseased remove it now and the four year canes.
You want to have three or four canes for each year. Removing now should encourage new growth
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I’ve known lots of people that didn’t get the gooseberry and currant message and just thought the plants were diseased. The old canes probably do have borers in them. Some of the commercial growers just mow down whole rows on a three year cycle. I often take whole canes in to pick.
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I’m going to get to taste several currants and at least one gooseberry varirty for the first time this year.
The cultivar Tatran must be loved by APHIDS.
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I’ve had several currants and goosberries bloom this spring. Im really hopining to get to try some. To date ive only gotten a hand full of currents and no gooseberries. Second year serviceberry are blooming (Autumn Brilliance and Regent). Never got to try any yet. One of my regent and my Allegheny got chewed back pretty good by rabbits.
Off topic but i hope some of my viburnum flower this year as well.
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Cranberry bush viburnum…have several bloom clusters. Third year plants.
Several viburnum do have edible fruits.
I have two of the cranberry viburnum, a nannyberry, and a few spice bush. The cranberry and nannyberry are very young.
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There is a remarkable difference in the Honeyberry varieties. I recommend that you get recommendations from a university trial. Eventually the not so good varieties will probably disappear. Until then you need to look at reviews before buying.
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I research all I can before buying any nursery stock. I have all the latest and greatest honeyberry varieties, at least a dozen kinds. They are still not a favorite for eating fresh, unless you are a cedar waxwing.
really? i like them all for fresh eating but aroura and boreal blizzard are my faves. if i can keep the wife from them. 
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For anybody who is interested in white currants, the variety ‘Swedish White’ sold by Fruitwood Nursery has a more vertical orientation and blooms much later than ‘White Imperial’. Swedish White was breaking bud right as White Imperial was in full bloom. It may be a good choice for avoiding late freezes. No fruit this year due to pruning, but last year’s fruit seemed pretty good. Perhaps next year it will be old enough for a good comparison. I bought is as a twig and rooted it the year before last.
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Check out Lee Reich’s Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden - has really in depth variety and cultivar deets for ribes
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