Jostaberry – pronounced ‘yosta’ (Ribes × nidigrolaria) – is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry. It forms a big, hardy, deciduous shrub that bears small purple flowers in late spring, followed by red-black berries the size of gooseberries but with a richer, sweeter flavour. While quite tart compared with other soft fruit, jostaberries are sweet enough to be eaten raw in salads, muesli and desserts, or cooked in sweet or savoury dishes. The fruit also freezes well.
How to grow jostaberryGrow jostaberry as a free-standing shrub or train it against a wall in rich soil in a sunny place. Prune in winter, protect the flowers from late frosts and top-dress with organic matter, such as homemade compost, in spring. Harvest the flavoursome berries in mid-summer.
Where to grow jostaberryJostaberry is a vigorous, deciduous shrub, growing up to 2m tall and 2m wide, so choose a site where it won’t shade other fruit bushes. In a restricted space, train your jostaberry against a wall or fence. For the best yield, grow jostaberry in rich, moisture-retentive (but not water-logged) soil in full sun. Grow with other shrubs in a cottage or informal garden, with other soft fruit in a fruit cage or in a mixed border with herbaceous perennials. Even in partial shade – sun for half the day – it will produce a good crop, which means it’s a great addition to the shrub layer of a forest garden.
How to plant jostaberryPlant jostaberry in late autumn or spring, when it is dormant, having lost all its leaves. Whether the plant is bare-rooted or container-grown, dig a hole twice the diameter of the rootball and deep enough so the soil mark at the base of the plant is about 5cm lower than the surrounding soil. Backfill the hole, firm the
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