REDCURRANT is one of the most productive fruits you can grow on an allotment, or in a garden that can spare about five square feet of space.

The bushes will grow strongly in most British soils, and will even crop reasonably well in partial shade.

The usual period for planting redcurrants is “between the clocks” — from when British Summer Time ends in late October until it starts again in late March.

Between October and December is I think the ideal slot, so that the weather’s cold enough to keep the plants dormant, while the ground still retains some of the summer warmth.

If you have the choice, pick a position in full sun, sheltered from strong winds and from spring frosts, in a soil that is fertile and well-drained. But I’ve seen red and white currants (they’re essentially the same thing; the white is a mutation of the red) growing nicely in the most unpromising spots.

Whatever your soil’s like, it’s a good idea to fork in several buckets of garden compost or rotted manure a few weeks before planting, because redcurrants need good fertility. If the soil you’re planting into is thin or a bit dry, then this isn’t just advisable, but necessary.

Every spring, scatter a general purpose fertiliser around the bush, followed by a mulch, about two inches (5cm) deep, of garden compost to keep moisture in the soil.

The aim with pruning redcurrants is to create what gardening books always call a goblet shape, no doubt because goblets are such a familiar item in the modern home.

They mean that the bush should be open in the middle — full of air, rather than full of twigs. This helps to keep the plant healthy, and encourages ripening of fruit.

The plan is to have a bush consisting of about eight main branches, coming out from a main stem of about four inches (10cm), cupping that goblet full of air in the centre.

If you check four books on how and when to prune redcurrants, you’ll get four different systems. This is what works for me: after harvesting the currants in summer, cut all that year’s new growth back to five leaves.

Then, any time in winter when the plant is dormant, remove any wood that looks diseased, dead or dying, along with any that's crowding the centre of the goblet or that is growing less than four inches (10cm) from the ground.

At the same time prune the side-shoots so that they've only got one or two buds on them. Finally, shorten the main branches by about a quarter.

An established redcurrant will crop heavily for many years; the only serious problem you’re likely to encounter is birds eating the buds in winter and the fruit in summer.

For some reason, this happens to some growers and not to others. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, then covering the whole bush in netting or a fruit-cage is the only solution.