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Jostaberry (Bundle of 3) | Spring 2027
$59.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 1
- 4 White pine blister rust : Resistant, 4 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our berry disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Jostaberry is a jostaberry shrub rated hardy to zone 3b in our ratings (winters to -35°F), and self-fertile, so one plant can crop.
| Also called | Josta (Ribes x nidigrolaria) |
|---|---|
| Hardy to | Zone 3b to 7. The b means the warmer half of zone 3 only (winters to -35°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
| Chill hours | About 1,200 hours (800 to 2,200). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 3 of 7 (early-mid), very early spring here. Jostaberry sets fruit on its own. A gooseberry or black currant nearby may help it crop more heavily. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Currant & Gooseberry Pollination Chart. |
| Good for | Jams and jellies (8/10), canning and freezing (7/10), fresh eating (6/10), cooking and roasting (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| What you get | Bare root, 1-2 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Jostaberry is a cross between black currant, the North American coastal black gooseberry, and the European gooseberry. The flavor certainly has hints of both currant and gooseberry, with a slightly stronger currant flavor. It’s definitely worth growing!
Early Fruiting & Cold Hardiness
One of the first fruiting shrubs we grew, Jostaberry is hardy to Zone 3b (-35°F), making it perfect for colder climates.
Plant Size & Root System
These Jostaberries are 1–2 feet tall and have really nice fine root hairs. They’re going into their third year.
Shipping restrictions: white pine blister rust quarantine
Jostaberry is a black currant × gooseberry hybrid (Ribes × nidigrolaria), and Ribes are alternate hosts for white pine blister rust. Because several states write their quarantine to cover Ribes nigrum “and its hybrids,” we cannot ship this plant to Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia, or West Virginia.
Permit or local restrictions also apply in: New Hampshire, where ‘Jostaberry’ is on the state’s approved rust-resistant cultivar list but still requires a permit from the Division of Forests & Lands; Michigan and New Jersey (state permit required); and New York (restricted outside designated fruiting-currant districts). Please check your local rules before ordering.
Orders placed to a prohibited state will be cancelled and refunded.
Questions we get about Jostaberry
Does Jostaberry need a pollenizer?
No. Jostaberry is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Jostaberry sets fruit on its own. A gooseberry or black currant nearby may help it crop more heavily.
How cold hardy is Jostaberry?
We rate Jostaberry hardy to zone 3b, which means winters down to about -35°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Jostaberry need?
About 1,200 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 800 and 2,200. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Chill hasn't been measured, but both its black currant and gooseberry parents need a real winter. Montana covers that easily. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
What is Jostaberry good for?
Our top use scores for Jostaberry are jams and jellies (8/10), canning and freezing (7/10), fresh eating (6/10), cooking and roasting (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
What arrives, and when does Jostaberry ship?
A dormant bare root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 1-2 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.
Is Jostaberry disease resistant?
Yes. It's resistant to white pine blister rust. Our berry disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
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