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I got ahead of myself and bought a blackcurrant bush at the weekend, the lady at the garden centre said not to put out til theres likely to be a couple of frost-free nights- surely that'll be weeks and weeks away?- will it be ok sat in its pot til then? remind me next time to work all this out before I buy! Ju x

Yes, should be fine in it's pot so long as you keep it well watered. Best to plant out in spring - enjoy the blackcurrants when they come. Although a pain to pick I make fantastic blackcurrant jam every year with ours.

I find blackcurrants very "robust". You can prune them and the pruned twigs can still come back to life months later. In fact that's how easy they are to propagate - poke a twig into the ground and wait. Leave plenty of space - a bush can grow to a meter diameter and 1.5m high. Use mulch around the base when you plant it... shredded paper is good.

Blackcurrants and nearly all other "soft" fruits prefer an acidic soil. Coal soot is good for this, but it has to be left to "mature" for a month or two, before use.