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Fruit Edible

Ribes × nidigrolaria (F)

jostaberry

A cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant, combining the size of a gooseberry with the flavour of blackcurrant. The self-fertile bushes produce good crops of fruit that matures in July or August. You can eat fruit straight from the bush or use it in desserts and preserves. These deciduous bushes are vigorous and spineless.

Synonyms

Ribes 'Josta'
Ribes × nidigrolaria 'Jostaberry'
see moreRibes jostaberry

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Grossulariaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Ribes can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes spiny, with simple, usually palmately lobed leaves and small tubular or bell-shaped, solitary or racemose flowers borne in spring or summer, followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Jostaberries prefer a sunny site with well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, but will cope in most other soil conditions and tolerate light shade. Mulch annually with well-rotted manure or compost and apply a general purpose fertiliser in spring. Grow as blackcurrants so please see our blackcurrant cultivation page for more growing tips

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in the dormant season

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Edible fruit

Pruning

Prune when dormant in winter. Aim to keep an open centred goblet shaped bush, removing some of the older unproductive stems each year.

Pests

May be susceptible to birds eating fruits

Diseases

Generally disease-free, resistant to gooseberry leaf spot and gooseberry mildew

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