The currant shrub produces tart berries that make excellent jams and preserves. They can have pink, white, red, or black fruit depending on the variety. All types have a high nutritional value and are easy to grow. Ann McCarron will explain all you need to grow them yourself. Currants are used to make jams, jellies, sorbets, cordials, syrups, fruit salads, cakes, and crumbles. There is an endless list of how to use your currant harvest. There are four different colors to choose from, each with its own unique flavor and use. It’s easy to see why gardeners love to grow currants. Pink and white currants look like delicate jewels hanging in huge bunches. They are deliciously sweet eaten fresh from the bush. Red currants, and especially black currants, are tart and require a little sugar to enhance their intense flavor. Not only do these little berries taste great, but they also pack a nutritional punch. They are high in vitamin C. One 80g serving is equivalent to 200% of your RDA (recommended daily allowance). They are also high in phosphorous, iron, antioxidants, fiber, and protein. Plus almost fat-free. Currants were once referred to as the ‘forbidden fruit’ in the US. They were banned in the early 1900s due to the risk of commercial growers spreading a blister rust disease. This disease is fatal to white pine trees used in the logging industry. The nationwide ban was lifted in the 1960s. The decision was passed to individual states. It’s still illegal to grow them in some states, so best to double-check your location. What is a Currant? Currants come from the botanical family Grossulariaceae and the genus Ribes. There are three main species: Ribes nigrum (black currant), Ribes rubrum (red currant), and Ribes sativum, white and pink currants. The latter are albino selections from red currant bushes and are less acidic. Native Area Currants are deciduous shrubs originating in woodland and scrub habitats in northern temperate regions across the globe. Most of the northern hemisphere and parts of South America have a few currant varieties. All Ribes species have similar growth habits and appearance with slight variations. They are closely related to the gooseberry bush, which has a similar growth habit. They tend to grow to medium-sized shrubs approximately three to five feet high and across with an upright growth habit. Characteristics Buds appear in late spring. This is followed by mid-green leaves, which alternate with a palmate appearance of five lobes and serrated margins. Stems are brown and woody when old. New growth is green and flexible. It will fade to light brown and have a woody appearance after one year. Tumbling racemes of small green/brown or green/white flowers develop among maple-like leaves in late spring. They open into long clusters of cream or red/brown flowers, depending on the variety. Black currant leaves are a bit rounder than white, pink, or red currants. The majority of currant varieties are self-fertile. Flowers don’t last long. They soon swell to produce berries that are small, round, and green. You only need one plant to produce berries. Black currants quickly blush a dusky red in late spring. They deepen finally to produce purple/black berries around half an inch in diameter. Red currants, pink currants, and white currants also start off green and change to their final pearlescent color as they swell. Berries are ready to harvest from mid to late summer. The berries are the only parts that are consumed. The best fruit is produced from two and three-year-old wood. It may take a year or two to yield good harvests from a new shrub. Currant shrubs lose their leaves in late fall and go into a state of dormancy. This is the best time to prune and propagate. Pruning is an important element of growing to maintain good health and high yields – but more on this later. Varieties Some popular and widely grown varieties to look out for are: Black currant – ‘Titania’ is a heavy producer of good quality large berries. Resistant to blister rust and powdery mildew. Pink currants – ‘Pink Champagne’ has excellent flavor and good highly resistant to disease. White currants – ‘White Imperial’ is a good, sweet-flavored variety resistant to powdery mildew. Red currants – ‘Honeyqueen’ has a great flavor from harvests of this red currant occurring over a long period. Another stunning cultivar is the ‘Red Lake’ variety. Planting Bare root currants should be planted in autumn. Soak the root ball in water for a few hours in advance of planting to rehydrate. New shrubs, like potted currant shrubs, can be planted at any time of year in the home garden. But they will suffer least from transplant shock if planted in autumn while dormant. Choose a location in full sun to partial shade. Currants grown in warmer climates will benefit from shade in hot weather. Soil should be rich, well-drained, and moisture-retentive. Amend the planting hole with lots of organic matter to give them a good start. They grow best in the ground but can be grown in large, deep, heavy containers that won’t blow over as they get bigger. If growing in containers, ensure you water and feed regularly. Currants can be planted slightly deeper than their nursery pot. This helps their shallow roots anchor into the ground, ready to support all that heavy fruit. Prepare a hole twice as wide as the root ball, adding lots of fresh organic matter. With the root ball in position backfill with soil, firm in, and top with lots of mulch. This will help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay. Keep the soil moist until they are established. Provide a cane for extra support if growing in an exposed site. They should be spaced four to five feet apart.

The most popular cherry grown by commercial farmers is also available for growing in home gardens. In this article, gardening expert Wendy Moulton shares how to care for fantastic ‘Bing’ cherry trees! The sweet fragrance of white cherry blossoms in spring will burst into rich, large fruits in summer with their tasty, sweet flesh. In autumn, the green serrated leaves turn golden – truly a tree for all seasons. It is, however, the cherries that they are known for. ‘Bing’ cherry trees produce deep red heart-shaped fruits with a sweet, delicious taste and small seeds, giving you more cherry for your pie. These vigorous growers are perfect for temperate climates and will produce up to 50 pounds of fruit per year for many years to come. The prolific fruit on this tree, the large size of the cherries, and the deep red color all make this the variety to plant. It requires a pollinator tree planted nearby, which adds to the variation in cherries you can grow in a home garden. Here, I’ll share the requirements ‘Bing’ cherries need to perform at their best. What Is It? Prunus avium ‘Bing’ is America’s most produced variety of cherry in the commercial market. Its origins have a colorful history, starting in the mid-1800s when the Lewelling family traveled west across the country from Iowa to Oregon, bringing with them 700 fruit trees. They started the first nursery on the West Coast and planted orchards of prunes, apples, and cherries, which is believed was the beginning of Oregon’s fruit-growing industry. The ‘Bing’ cherry tree was named for Chinese horticulturalist and foreman at the Lewelling orchards, Ah Bing. His legacy lives on in this award-winning cherry cultivar. For the nearly 150 years that the ‘Bing’ cherry has been in production, it has set the standard by which other cultivars are judged. Native Area Originally from Germany, these trees are descendants of the ‘Napoleon Bigarreau’ variety. The ‘Bing’ cherry was bred in Milwaukie, Oregon, from original trees brought from Iowa by the Henderson Luelling. Characteristics ‘Bing’ is a tall tree with a rounded canopy that can grow up to 35 feet and 25 feet wide. Dwarf varieties are more compact, with a mature height of around 15 feet and 12 feet wide. The leaves are long, serrated, dark green for most of the year, and turn golden yellow in the fall. The tree will be full of pretty, fragrant spring blossoms that form the sought-after large fruits, a deep red when ripe in the summer. This tree is a vigorous grower and a prolific producer of quality, firm cherries. ‘Bing’ requires another pollinator cherry close by to set fruit; it is not self-pollinating. The best-recommended varieties to plant as pollinators are ‘Sam’, ‘Van’, ‘Rainier’, and ‘Stella’. Planting Find a position in full sun and with enough space for the mature size of a ‘Bing’ cherry—at least 25 feet—and a pollinator cherry. Locate it away from other plants and buildings in a spot with plenty of sunlight. Dig a hole at least twice the width and height of the root ball so that the roots have a chance to expand and sit in the ground well to hold the weight of the tree. A stake is necessary, particularly in windy areas. Add the tree and backfill the soil, pressing it down as you go to remove any air pockets in the soil and prevent any bacterial infections from getting to the roots. Create a basin around the tree’s base to help direct water toward the roots. After planting, water the plant well and add a layer of mulch, making sure that the mulch does not touch the tree’s bark.

‘Gala’ apples are tasty, sweet, and juicy! Learn how to grow your own ‘Gala’ apple tree, and discover new ways to use apples in the kitchen. Follow this guide from gardener Jerad Bryant to enjoy a bountiful harvest each year. Why grow a ‘Gala’ apple tree? They are one of the best apples for the home gardener. They are tough trees in the landscape and reliable producers of annual crops. In general, apple trees of all types are excellent fruit trees in temperate zones. I often see them growing wild in the Pacific Northwest, and their resilience in natural areas is impressive. Each year, they provide flower nectar for pollinators, delicious fruit for humans, and seeds that birds love to eat. Want to grow ‘Gala’ apples? This guide has everything you need to grow a big and lush fruit tree. What is a ‘Gala’ Apple? The ‘Gala’ variety is an iconic apple cultivar from the 1920s. This semi-dwarf tree reaches over 15’ tall in maturity. When grafted onto dwarf rootstock, it grows to a mature height of 10’ tall. Both the dwarf and semi-dwarfs’ short heights make them perfect specimens for small and large gardens alike. Growers love this variety because it reliably produces an annual bountiful crop. Most apple varieties are alternate-bearing, meaning they produce a large crop of apples one year, and then they conserve their energy and produce fewer apples the next year. ‘Gala’ defies this trend by creating many juicy apples each growing season. Apple trees are the most widely adapted fruit trees, and they are important to many cultures worldwide. Where I’m from, we bake apples into pies, make apple jelly, and eat apples fresh off the tree. Native Area The original ancestor of apple trees is Malus domestica, the common apple. Native to parts of Central Asia and Afghanistan, it is a deciduous tree that often grows to 30’ tall in the wild. Over centuries, apple growers selected and grew the apples they loved to eat. With time, this selection process developed thousands of different apple cultivars that readily adapt to new environments. ‘Gala’ is a cross between ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Kidd’s Orange Red’ varieties. After performing well in New Zealand in the 1930s, nursery growers in the U.S. planted orchards full of this cultivar in the 1970s. Now, ‘Gala’ is one of the top apples grown in the U.K. and the U.S. Characteristics All apple trees share some commonalities. They are deciduous fruit trees with delicate white-pink blossoms and glossy green leaves. Their flowers and fruit are incredibly fragrant, and their fruit is round. ‘Gala’ apples are golden yellow with red coloration over the yellow. Apples grow bisexual flowers with both male and female reproductive organs in the same flower. Although they have perfect flowers with both pollen and ovules, apples are not incredibly self-pollinating. Most varieties, including ‘Gala,’ require another cultivar near them that blooms at the same time, like ‘Fuji’ or ‘Granny Smith.’ Do you lack space for two trees in the garden? Place a bouquet of blooming crabapple or apple blossoms at the base of your flowering ‘Gala’ tree. This helps the pollinators near your tree access different apple pollen and leads to successful pollination and fruiting without having two full-sized trees. Propagation Grow ‘Gala’ apple trees from cuttings. Apple seeds are highly variable and grow offspring that are different from the parent tree. Ensure you have the ‘Gala’ variety and take cuttings off a healthy, mature tree. Growing from cuttings is time-intensive, and it may take up to six months for roots to show. Skip the waiting process and find grafted trees for your climate at your local nursery, or order them online from a reputable source.