Blackberry - Chester Thornless

One of the best self-pollinating blackberry varieties available because of its huge yield, sweet fruit, cold hardiness, resistance to cane blight and, of course, lack of thorns. The fast-growing canes are sturdy, but still require a little support as they can get up to 10’ long. Fruit comes on last year’s growth, usually in July. The juiciest, most flavorful berries come from a life in full sun, attentive watering, proper mulching and good weed control.

‘Chester Thornless’ produces large deeply-flavored, absolutely delicious berries for preserves and freezing, but best of all for fresh use on ice cream or baked into cobblers and pies. The grocery-store price for blackberries is nearly prohibitive these days; when one plant can produce as much as 20 pounds of berries, you can do the math. A must-have in the home garden. Zones 5-8.

Blackberries thrive in sandy or good to average garden soil. Plant them in full sun. In home gardens, keep plants about 3 feet apart. If planting in rows, keep them 3 feet apart in the rows, and keep the rows 5 to 8 feet apart. Mulch around the plants to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Maintain depth of mulch by adding as necessary throughout the year.

This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese.