[New shoot]

Have done a search, but can't find the answers I am looking for, so can anyone help please?

I have room for a couple of soft fruit bushes, but it is in a area I don't net.  Currently there are gooseberries there - I lose a few off the tops of the bushes to the birds, but pick huge amounts for myself, so not concerned.

White currants interest me, but are they stripped by birds like the red ones?  If so, I will wait until I have built a fruit cage and put all that sort of stuff inside there.

Also looked at Jostaberry and Worcesterberry.  I've grown blackcurrants unnetted and they were OK.  Are these 2 going to be stripped does anyone know?

Also are they different enough to be worth growing both?  They look it - 1 seems way more currant looking and the other gooseberry looking.  Do the tastes mirror this?

Thanks for any help 

[Kleftiwallah]

White currants don't seem to have many friends as compared with black or red currants, they seem to be only used as a filler when there aren't enough blacks or reds in a sweet.

I have two whites and they far out cropped the reds/blacks.

Hope this helps?   Cheers,   Tony.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I like white currants and they always seem to crop well. I have never for round to netting my currants and always seemed to get a reasonable crop although don't know if this will change having moved out of a city into the sticks.

In the past the main problem was the ducks stripping everything from the lower branches!

[New shoot]

In the past the main problem was the ducks stripping everything from the lower branches!

Hopefully not an issue on the plot 

White currants are sounding like a good bet.  I like the sound of the heavy cropping 

[Lardman]

My white currants are the last one the birds pinch - but they still pinch them, if left uncovered they'll have the lot.

I've never found a specific use for them either - the chicken seem to like them though 

[Kate and her Ducks]

I tend to use them anywhere I would use red currants so they go in summer puddings, with ice cream or straight into the mouth off the plant! They also go in the currant wine I make.

[Hamani]

White currants make a great wine! And are much easier to grow, especially up here in the northern UK.

[BabbyAnn]

Pigeons are the only problems I've had stripping the red currant but they seem to leave the white and black currants and Josterberry alone - having said that, if I was a bit more organised, I'm sure I could harvest plenty of red currants before the pigeons take an interest.

It would be true to say that white currants don't have the tart/strong flavours of red or black currants, and may even be on the insipid side, but they are sweet, look like little pearls and very pretty in a fruit salad.  Make excellent wine as already pointed out 

[Lesleyk]

I've had a go at jostaberries - got my first plant bare root about five year's ago and it has never fruited!  Not sure what I'm doing wrong - perhaps it just doesn't like living by the sea.  It gets lots of leaves and always looks hopeful, then nothing.

[Trillium]

I got a white currant bush as part of a package deal. Like others, it produces very well and the berries are very sweet if small. I suspect the birds don't notice them until after they've stripped all the other bushes   

I use mine just to fill out red currants for jelly when the red or black yield was low.

[BabbyAnn]

I've had a go at jostaberries - got my first plant bare root about five year's ago and it has never fruited!  Not sure what I'm doing wrong - perhaps it just doesn't like living by the sea.  It gets lots of leaves and always looks hopeful, then nothing.

maybe a little potash to encourage flowers?

[New shoot]

White currants make a great wine! 

Now that got my attention    Seems like a white currant and a jostaberry may be the faves so far