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Rita
Jostaberry in the UK
Rita is a strong-growing, thornless hybrid that consistently produces good yields of berries. A great all-rounder for the allotment, offering easy picking and plenty of fruit.
Sow window for Jostaberry generally.
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How to grow it
You'll usually get these as bare-root bushes, so you're looking to sow them anytime from November right through to March. When they arrive, get 'em in the ground sharpish. Dig a good sized hole, plenty of room for the roots to spread out nice and wide, then backfill with some decent compost. Give it a good watering in once it's settled and make sure it's got enough space around it, they like to spread out a bit, you know.
Jostaberries are cracking for giving a good yield, but they do need their space to get established properly. Once the risk of the last frost has well and truly passed – usually mid to late May up here in the North, a bit earlier down south – you can get them planted out. Give each bush at least 1.5 to 2 metres, they're big lads and need room to grow without being crowded out.
More Jostaberry varieties
Track your Jostaberry from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.