‘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. Vancouver Island Coastal Chester Blackberries are grown by local famers mostly for winery. It is a high yielding breed, and sometimes one plant can produce as much as 20 pounds of berries.These berries grow well in home gardens. 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.
The Coastal Chester Blackberry 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.