Black Currants for Commercial Growers
Place your orders now for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
Plaid Shirt Farms Ltd is proud to be the sole Canadian licensee propagator of Black Currant varieties developed by McGinnis Berry Crops Ltd.
McGinnis Berry Crops is the industry leader in both the breeding and commercial nursery production of novel black currant varieties in North America. Our varieties are ideally suited to meet the unique local growing conditions and consumer preferences in this market. Our focus is developing Black Currant varieties with extremely high yields, disease resistance and outstanding flavor profiles.
Plaid Shirt Farms Ltd is a wholesaler of Black Currant plants. We sell only to growers ordering a minimum of 100 plants. Plants are 2in x 2in x 5in plugs (340 ml) plugs unless otherwise specified. A signed non-propagation is required prior to delivery We have strict controls in place to prevent the introduction of pests, disease and virus into our nursery and as such we are not open to the public.
Our Black Currant Varieties
Blackcomb
Blackcomb is a high yielding variety that has high levels of resistance to foliar diseases – mildew, White Pine Blister Rust – , vigorous growth habit and tolerance to late spring frost. Blackcomb has produced yields in replicated B.C. trials that were more than 50% higher than Titania and Ben Alder. Fruit size is 20% larger than Titania. Flowering is late mid-season and this variety has demonstrated better tolerance to late spring frost than Titania. Well suited to machine harvest.
Nicola
Nicola is another high yielding variety that has high levels of resistance to White Pine Blister Rust and other foliar diseases. The plant has upright growth habit, many basal shoots, flowering begins early in the season followed by an early season harvest with large fruit. Excellent for machine harvesting.
Stikine
New release from the McGinnis Berry Crops Limited breeding program. Stikine’s main features are incredible flavor profile, high levels of resistance to White Pine Blister Rust and other foliar diseases, very high yields and suitability to both hand harvest and machine harvest. One potential drawback is its short hang time.
Stikine is best processed into juice or offered to fresh market customers. The resulting flavor profile is much better suited to North American consumer preferences.
Whistler
Whistler has high yields of small to medium sized high quality fruit. It has fair resistance to mildew and good resistance to White Pine Blister Rust. Growth habit is slightly spreading with medium vigor. Flowering is late-mid season with good tolerance for late spring frost. Yields in replicated B.C. trials were more than 50% higher than Titania and Ben Alder. Fruit size is smaller than Ben Alder, .8 grams per berry. Juice quality is excellent. Well suited to machine harvest.
Whistler had yields second only to one of our numbered varieties and the largest fruit size in Montana State University field trials. Also, was rated as the best variety in a study by a graduate student at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada with high yield and large fruit. In most areas Whistler would be suited to hand harvest as well as machine harvest applications.
“We purchased 900 whistler plugs in 2010 and another 2200 plugs in 2012. The plants arrived in excellent shape, packaged neatly in waxed cardboard boxes. Their survival rate was fantastic at >99%. They have grown vigorously and are hardy. We just went through one of the coldest winters on record, and didn’t lose a plant. No sign of blister rust or other significant disease/pest problems as far as we can tell. The fruit is large and has the classic black currant piney pungency. The flavor is what we love the most – an intense sweet-tart berry flavor that makes wonderful jam and fantastic wine!”
– Mark and Kristie Gering, Currant Valley LLC
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