Hey y’all,
I love currants! I want to grow a bunch of different types. I’ve heard however they can be a bit heat sensitive, is it possible to grow great crops of this fruit in the NC Piedmont? What varieties are recommended? How are they on pollination? Do they need many different varieties?
Crandell is probably the only one that would survive our summers. Maybe Jostaberry with a bit of shade and good air flow.
That being said, the entire ribes genus is illegal to grow in NC. Ribes are the alternate host of the white pine blister rust, and so to protect the timber industry currant and gooseberry plants are banned.
Some eastern states, like NY, have relaxed their laws in recent years, but NC has so far retained pretty much the strictest ban in the country. Even native, wild plants are illegal.
SECTION .0400 -WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST02 NCAC 48A .0401 CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY PLANTS (a) All wild and cultivated currant and gooseberry plants in North Carolina are hereby declared to be dangerous plants and are consequently subject to destruction by the Commissioner of Agriculture or authorized agents wherever found. (b) No person shall knowingly and willfully keep upon his premises any currant or gooseberry plant, or permit such plants to mature seed or otherwise multiply upon his land.
From: Can I Grow Gooseberries or Currants in NC? | NC State Extension
Ah I see. But how realistic is the threat of me growing a few plants on my suburban lot in the city in reality? They already went and almost entirely eradicated the native population of ribes, right? So there aren’t great transmission vectors out into the county where there may or may not be white pine timber plantations. White pines aren’t even that common in the Piedmont like they are in the mountains. I haven’t seen a single one in my entire neighborhood.
Ignoring the pine blister issue, my money is that ribes will be a failure in your yard. I hold the opinion that these are not plants for the South. I would recommend that you go hog wild planting rabbiteye blueberries instead of currants.
Great point that I should probably start planting some blueberries in any case. Do they take well from cuttings? I’m renting right now so only trying to grow stuff that transports pretty well, i.e. potted figs, in ground blackberries, and other sorts of things.
Others have better success with rooting blueberry cuttings than I have had. It definitely can be done, but it’s not as simple as rooting figs in my opinion. That being said, good sized rabbiteye plants are actually pretty cheap. In the past, I have received nice plants from both Ison’s and Bottoms Nursery. (Bottoms has a much wider selection.) And if you wait until spring, you should be able to find big Premier, Brightwell, and Powder Blue plants at retailers like Tractor Supply.
Another great thing about blueberry plants is that they are extremely attractive landscape plants. The fall foliage is especially stunning.
Don’t sweat it, Finch’s Blueberry nursery is at most two hours away from you. Their blueberry plant prices for pick up are pretty much the lowest in the country. It’s just old Mrs. Finch running the place now, and after they sold their South American operation, she hasn’t been hurting for money. She’s just keeping the place running in memory of her late husband and to keep busy. They have a good selection and their plants are healthy and big, and their prices are what you’d expect from a nursery in 2000, not in 2023.
She said she’ll keep it going for a year or two more before retiring and selling the nursery, so their prices won’t stay low forever.
I’d get their largest size, I think it’s a three gallon for $20. You’ll probably get berries off of it the same year. If you’re thinking you’ll move soon, you could keep them in pots for a while, blueberries do pretty good in pots.
Probably worth paying Stan McKenzie a visit too. He’s down in the SC Piedmont, and he has some of the best selection of and certainly the best prices on hardy citrus in the country. Citrus are similarly easy to keep in pots for a few years if needed.
Wow!! Incredible tip! Thanks so much
You’ll have to obtain your currants on the sly, as North Carolina has rules against them.
But, I agree that a handfull of plants on a city lot are not likely a threat to pine trees.
Plant them on the north face of your home, or someplace they get partial afternoon shade and you’ll probably succeed. Most varieties don’t have to have a pollinator, but planting more than one makes good sense. (Currants root much easier than blueberries if you just stick cuttings in the ground.)
I may or may not have obtained some from online nurseries that don’t explicitly exclude certain states. OGW for one may or may not ship them to NC.
With that being said you’re gonna want to plant them in at least part shade if not full and a colder part of the yard as they will defóliate completely full sun by june