Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum "Leningradskij velikan", 2 L pot

• Type: fruit bush
• Botanical name: Ribes nigrum 'Leningradskij velikan'
• Height and spread: tall upright bush, about 1.5 m, spread 1–1.2 m
• Fruit: large, black, thin-skinned, well-flavoured; ripen in July
• Light: sun to partial shade
• Soil: fertile, moisture-retentive
• Hardiness: very good (zone 3–4)
• Use: fresh eating, juice, jam, freezing
• Size: 2 L pot

Planting. Plant in sun or partial shade in fertile, moisture-retentive soil. Set the bush 5–10 cm deeper than in the pot and cut the shoots back to 2–3 buds after planting so the bush branches well. Space plants 1.5 m apart.

Watering and feeding. Blackcurrants like moisture: water in dry spells, especially while the berries swell, and mulch the soil. Give a nitrogen-containing berry fertiliser in spring and a potassium-rich feed after harvest.

Care. Prune in early spring: remove shoots older than 4–5 years, diseased and drooping ones, keeping 10–15 shoots of different ages. Check the buds in spring – round swollen buds indicate big bud mite and should be picked off.

Gardener's tip. Blackcurrants ripen in July. The tall upright bush also works as a hedge along the garden boundary, giving both screening and a harvest.