PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Jostaberry
Ribes × nidigrolaria
A thornless blackcurrant–gooseberry cross: big, vigorous bushes with dark berries tasting of both. Very resistant to mildew and big bud mite.
At a glance: harvest in July.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Jostaberry: what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water well while fruit swells
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 2 m
- Height
- 1.8 m
- In pots
- Only in large containers
- Feeding
- Sulphate of potash in late winter; mulch with compost
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 4–8
Step by step
- On planting day
Plant
Plant 2 m apart in weed-free, well-prepared soil enriched with compost, and water in well.
- 0–3 days after “Plant”
Water In
Water well and keep moist while it settles in.
- 7–21 days after “Water In”
Mulch
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plants to keep moisture in and weeds down.
Every year
- MarchSpring Feed
Feed with a general fertiliser and mulch with manure.
- JuneNet Against Birds
Net the bushes before the fruit ripens.
- JulyPick Jostaberries
Pick when the berries are black and slightly soft.
Starts from year 2.
- DecemberWinter Prune
Cut a few of the oldest stems to the base to keep the bush young and productive.
Starts from year 2.
