Jostaberry

Jostaberry has all of the tasty goodness of black currants in fruit the size of a gooseberry. The sweet and tart fruit is perfect for baking, making jams, and juicing for a nutritious and delicious addition to your soft fruit and edible garden. The deep reddish black fruit ripens in July for midsummer harvesting and is completely self-pollinating. Jostaberries are also highly resistant to fungal and mildew diseases that often plague gooseberry plants in the United States. Jostaberry Care Jostaberry requires acidic soil and good drainage but is not choosy about the soil texture. Only the heaviest clay soils are unacceptable for good root formation. Plant it in a sunny or partly sunny location with at least 6 hours of direct sun during the day for best fruit production. Train Jostaberries on wires into an espalier against a sunny wall or keep it pruned into a shrub with an open vase-like shape. Growing Jostaberry Jostaberries take up to 3 years before fruiting freely. Unpruned shrubs will grow to a height of 3-5 feet with a width of 3-6 feet. Expect heavy seasonal yields of 10-12 lbs per plant. Jostaberries can be grown in large planters for many seasons. Choose a container with at least a 16-inch diameter and a wide or heavy base to help support heavy top growth. Ensure that bottom drainage is excellent and use an all-purpose potting mix with plenty of perlite mixed in for drainage. At planting, mix a slow-release fertilizer formulated for fruiting plants into the top 2-3 inches of the soil. Regular fertilization throughout the growing season is important for plants growing in containers as continuous watering leaches nutrients from the potting mix. Watering Jostaberry Consistent watering is important for good fruit formation. Allow for one inch of water (including natural rainfall) every 7-10 days. Using drip irrigation or soaker hoses keeps the foliage drier than overhead watering, protecting the plant from mildew and fungal diseases. Feeding Jostaberry Annual mulching with organic compost generally provides all of the extra nutrients that fruiting shrubs need. If the production of the Jostaberries declines, apply a fertilizer formulated for fruit and vegetable plants early in the spring and then again when the berries begin to form.