Today we will take a look in the orchard. I don’t know if any of you like red currants, maybe you fancy growing some but feel you don’t have the room for a big old red currant bush. Well don’t despair because if you have a clear space on a wall or a fence it’s quite possible to grow a red currant up against it, they don’t even mind if the wall or fence doesn’t get any sun, they will be a couple of weeks later fruiting though. Below are a couple of examples of what I’m talking about.
In the first picture is one that I planted last year so it isn’t too big yet. It’s just a simple matter of tying in the stems to wires as they grow and giving them a potash feed in late winter or early spring. Prune in early spring, if you have a lot of growth then only prune lightly if growth is slow prune back a little harder although if yours are like mine little pruning is required
This next picture was taken at Ripley Castle and show more mature red currants, as you can see they make a nice and productive wall covering.
