Yes! For those who have never grown or eaten currants, you should be aware that yes, the berries do have seeds. I have never run across a currant cultivar with excessively large or tough seeds, however. The size and texture of the seeds inside the currant berry are more or less equivalent to the seeds in a black raspberry, and not quite so obvious as those in a blackberry. In currants, the seeds are definitely present, definitely noticeable, but not overly obnoxious.
Depending on where you live, it may not be legal to grow currants (or their relative the gooseberry). Due to a suspicion of hosting white pine blister rust, the currant has long been outlawed in extensive ranges of the United States, and although the federal ban was dropped in 1966, many local governments still keep the currant on a list of disallowed plantings.
Be sure you know what you’re getting into before you plant this banned berry. You can’t assume you’re in safe territory just because you find currants for sale at your local nursery or farm store; many don’t check the regulations before adding to stock (and occasionally, this goes for the online nurseries as well). Check in with your local ag-extension, just to be sure you are allowed to plant this berry in your fruit garden.
There is no clear answer on whether the currant has an impact on white pine stands. Yes, the currant can certainly host the virus – but there are many other natural hosts for the same disease. There is no expert consensus confirming that the currant is genuinely a risk to the health of your local pines (hence the rescinding of the federal ban back in the 60’s).
If you have an at-risk tree stand but would still like to attempt growing currants, talk to your local ag-extension and get their thoughts. There are specific currant cultivars that are resistant to white pine blister rust, which may make them a better choice for your area.
Currants come in three classic colors: black, red, and white. A fourth and newer entry to the scene is the “pink” currant, which you may see advertised in specialty nurseries. The pink is a hybrid of red and white parent plants.
It’s important to note that each of these colors comes in multiple cultivars that vary in taste, size of the fruit, growing habits, and more. If your neighbor has a currant shrub that you love, find out the specific cultivar, because not every red currant is the same – and that goes for all the other colors, too!
Although currants and gooseberries both belong to the Ribes family, they have different growing and fruiting habits. A gooseberry tends to have a woody “tail” opposite the stem that typically must be removed prior to processing. A currant will also have a “tail;” however, I find the tail of a currant to be much smaller, less woody, and basically unnoticeable. I never bother to pop them off before eating… but to each their own.
I should give a both-sides answer here, but realistically, yes – currants are sour. Depending on what cultivar you plant, you may find them unpleasant for fresh eating and prefer processing directly. My red currants are tart enough to be interesting, and I consider them about the taste of a slightly-underripe black raspberry.
I have not tried all different colors, but what I have heard (no guarantees!) is that the black currants are most sour; then the reds; then the whites; and then the pinks.
Again, I can’t vouch for this – particularly since cultivars vary amongst themselves in terms of sweetness – but that’s the sequence I typically see.
No. Currants grow in a shrub-type form. They can get fairly large if given half a chance; they seem to tolerate partial shade relatively well, and if they have a head start, can beat out the weeds (although your fruit harvest will be diminished if the weeds are taking up resources of water, soil nutrients, and blocked sunlight).
Incidentally, currants are extremely easy to propagate; layering is an easy method to increase your fruit stand. Just bend over a branch, heap up some soil, and wait for roots to form!
Currants are extremely resilient plants that are hardy to zone 4 (all colors – black, red, white and pink), and specifically for red currants, that zone hardiness extends all the way to the freezing winters of zone 3. They can also handle other substandard growing conditions, such as juglone in the soil from nearby walnut or related trees.