When to harvest Whitecurrant in the UK
Whitecurrant is planted rather than sown from seed, so the dates below are harvest dates.
Harvest dates by region
Whitecurrant shows the same dates across the whole UK, so every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Harvest |
|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early July to late August |
| South Coast and Channel | early July to late August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early July to late August |
| South East and Home Counties | early July to late August |
| East Anglia | early July to late August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early July to late August |
| Wales and West Coast | early July to late August |
| Northern England | early July to late August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early July to late August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early July to late August |
| Northern Ireland | early July to late August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early July to late August |
Growing notes
A sweeter, milder currant than the redcurrant, ripening between early July and late August, with about 4.5kg from an established bush. Plant between November and March; it crops well in light shade, even on a north-facing wall.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 135 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 150 cm
- Plants per m²
- 0.5
- Yield per plant
- 4.5 kg
- Eventual height
- 150 cm
- Eventual spread
- 150 cm
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 60 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 45 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
Prune as for a redcurrant, in late winter or early spring, keeping an open-centred goblet of up to ten permanent branches with fruiting spurs. Do not cut whole stems to the base as you would a blackcurrant; trained cordons and fans need an extra summer prune.
Pruning group
redcurrant/whitecurrant (permanent spur framework)
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early November to late March. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 2 years after planting, and a productive life of roughly 15 years.
What usually goes wrong
- currant and gooseberry leaf spot
- brown scale
- capsid bugs
- birds
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for whitecurrant.