Chester blackberries certainly do get sweet, but it's not good enough to pick them at the moment they turn black. You need to wait to pick them until they are extremely soft and juicy and ready to fall off. If you pick too early they are indeed way too tart. Patience will be rewarded.

Thanks very much dm.That's probably what happened.It was the last weekend of the year for the farmers market and they needed to sell them and were picked too early.All of them were firm.
Your information gives me something to look forward to with this Blackberry. Brady

I've noticed many of the farmer's market and roadside stand blackberries in this region do not give off much of an aroma, another indicator of being unripe. Sniff your berries before buying.

I had some small Chester this fall,..one of the hardiest, I wasn't too impressed with taste, when they're soft they get a bit sweet but have a funny flavor IMO. The wild berries out in BC get allot nicer, larger and better in taste but too tender for my climate to grow, I'm sure, you can do allot better then Chester.

Brady,
I've really enjoyed Apache. I planted them a year ago and got a few quarts of big sweet berries. Seeing that you're in z8, why don't you try some trailers or hybrids? Not enough room?

Brady,
I have about 5 Chester growing for 3-4 years, and I am going to pull them out. They don't compare well with the Triple Crown that is growing next to them, and just don't seem to have a good flavor here. They ripen at a different time, which is nice, but the taste isn't worth growing them for me.

Benny

I just started growing Blackberries this year.The ones that were planted besides the Chester are Tayberry,Triple Crown,thorny Boysenberry and Marionberry.Two others I just picked up and making room for and still in pots,are Obsidian and Black Satin.
Home Depot did carry some plants like Natchez,Arapaho and Apache earlier in the year but I probably had my thoughts on other things.
Yes,space is getting used up with all the plants that are coming in,but I may check on some of those other varieties.
I'll grow the Chester and see what it's like.Thanks,Brady

Chester isn't worth growing where you can grow other varieties IMO. I like Navajo and Tripple Crown but where you are you can grow varieties I can't.

harvestman,thanks.How are things there now after Sandy?This is the first post of yours that I've seen since that storm. Brady