Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Black Raspberry - TreeTime.ca

Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Black Raspberry

Rubus occidentalis

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

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Black Raspberry
Chester Thornless Blackberry

The Black Raspberry is a multi-stemmed shrub that produces edible red berries that deepen to black as they mature. The berries are flavorful and are great for fresh eating and preserves. Black Raspberry shrubs bloom in late spring with white, rose-like flowers and attract many pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Black Raspberries are floricanes primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth.

Chester Thornless Blackberry is a self-pollinating fruit-bearing shrub. In mid-summer, the Chester Thornless Blackberry produces large, sweet-tasting, heart-shaped blackberries that are perfect for fresh eating. It is a semi-erect blackberry plant that requires little support from a trellis to keep its fruit off the ground. Don't forget to protect your berries. The birds love this shrub almost as much as you will.

Chester Thornless Blackberries are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth.

Black Raspberry Quick Facts

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

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Zone: 3a
Zone: 3b
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: high


Flowers: pink
Berries: red to black
Berries: heart shaped black
Firmness: firm
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NB
Other Names: bears eye blackberry, black cap, scotch cap
Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry