Blackcurrant - Ben Hope

Ben Hope is an upright late season cultivar producing long strings of delicious blackcurrants. A modern variety bred by the Scottish Crop Research Institute and raised in our organic certified nursery at Good Small Farms (Hammonds Farm) in Stroud. Relatively late season, fruiting July - August. Grows to around 150cm.

• organic certified by Soil Association
• mildew resistant
• frost hardy
• self fertile

Planting and Care

Blackcurrants are happy in a sunny spot and can tolerate some shade. Give each plant an absolute minimum of 1m x 1m space to grow into. Plant a little deeper than they were in the nursery (refer to the soil mark) to encourage new shoots from the base. When planting, ensure that the roots are well spread out, don’t curl or squash them into the planting hole. Water well after planting, especially in a dry spring.

It is generally recommended to prune back new blackcurrant bushes to just a couple of buds on each stem to promote vigorous growth the following spring. However, we think you’ll find our bushes are already really vigorous, and cutting them back to the ground will mean you don’t get any fruit in their first year after planting.