Jostaberry
Jostaberry: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Jostaberry is a hybrid fruiting shrub combining characteristics of blackcurrant and gooseberries. It is commonly given the botanical name Ribes × nidigrolaria and belongs to the Grossulariaceae family. Its berries combine a size approaching that of a gooseberry with a flavour recalling blackcurrant. This horticultural shrub offers a distinctive choice among the small fruits grown in gardens.The plant is vigorous, branched and thornless. It forms a bush rather than a tree with a single trunk. Mature height is often around 1.5 to 2.5 metres, depending on selection and conditions, with substantial width as well. Its open habit and long shoots create a fairly broad presence. The lack of thorns distinguishes it from ordinary gooseberries, whose stems commonly carry spines.The foliage is deciduous, so the shrub loses its leaves during the cold season. Simple, green, lobed leaves contribute to its visual relationship with other Ribes. Spring flowering remains understated compared with…
