Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

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Chester Thornless Blackberry
Ben Sarek Black Currant

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.

Ben Sarek Black Currant is a compact, high-yielding Black Currant cultivar, making it ideal for smaller gardens and easy berry picking. The large clusters of flavourful, sweet-tart berries ripen in mid-summer and are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, baked goods, and liqueurs. Plants may start producing some berries after two years, reaching full production in about four to five.

Developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Ben Sarek Black Currant is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to white pine blister rust. It is self-fertile, meaning it does not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 3b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: high
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: pink
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: heart shaped black
Berries: black currants, edible
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: July
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant