I made a gooseberry/currant (white and black currants- birds got most of the red ones) jam last year, which was OK, but not that flavorful. The 14 berry jam (gooseberry/ red, white and black currant/raspberries/strawberries/mulberries/juneberries) I made last year was sweet, but boring. The blackberry/elderberry jelly was quite good, though the elderberries were a pain to prepare. This year, I think I'll repeat the BB/EB (if I get enough EB- I pruned pretty hard and I only see a few blooms) and make the black currant on it's own. I don't think white and red currants have as much kick when making jam. If you do use the white and red currants for jam, don't worry about adding pectin. The berries naturally contain it. I didn't add any pectin and it still set firmer than I would like.

Hi All - thanks so much for the great discussion and tips. I have been growing a pink currant but don't know the name - it is thriving here in Colorado (I keep getting new plants sprouting everywhere near the original). The birds don't bother the currants at all here. They eat everything else I grow! I wanted to add a black currant and just called Lucile at Whitman and ordered - what a nice lady! She had the Ben Lomand black and the Russe (sp?) which is not listed in her catalog but she is very happy with that variety so I am trying both.

How long they take to bear fruit depends on what type they are. Fall bearing raspberries (like Caroline & Anne) bear fruit on this year's canes so I will have some fruit this fall. I can't remember if they will bear a light crop next summer on the same canes as well - I'll have to look up when to prune them. Those canes will die and need to be pruned out. The patch will continue to grow as the plants send out suckers and fill in the area. Summer bearing plants (like my Canby and Triple Crowns) bear fruit on one year old canes. I got a couple of berries from my Canby this year and have a few trying to ripen on the Triple Crown as well - they are growing on the part of the plant that was above ground when I planted them this spring. Next year's berries will grow on the canes that grew this summer. If you have summer bearing plants, you'll likely need to bend down the canes (though Triple Crown may be too thick) and mulch them or if they don't bend, try to shelter them somewhat from the dry winter winds to protect next summer's crop. If those canes die, no fruit for you next summer! Also, Caroline and Anne aren't thornless although my Anne bushes don't seem to have very many thorns. I would like to try some black raspberries too but I think it's advised to plant them quite a ways from the reds. I can't remember exactly why, but it may be a disease issue. I'm waiting on getting those for a little while.

You can grow the blueberries in 20-inch diameter containers if you have reservations about the soil. The soil mix is about half peat, half compost/manure with four or five cups of perlite. I maintain two plus inches of pine bark mulch. Alternative, you can amend the soil where you will grow the blueberries. Dig out what you have about two feet down and a meter square. Fill in with peat and compost/manure -- 50/50. Also mix in perlite, about four to five cups. Maintain two plus inches of mulch. It should work. The containers are easier in many ways. We use plastic netting to keep the birds and squirrels off the blueberries. The blueberries sure do taste great every year. The plants are from Pinetree, Patriot and one other that grows vertically. Good luck!