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How to Grow Cherries: The Complete Guide

Cherries are much better picked off a branch at home than from the supermarket.

Botanical Name
Prunus avium (Sweet Cherries), Prunus cerasus (Sour Cherries)
Plant Type
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Hardiness Zone
4
5
6
7

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Cherries

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Cherry trees are gorgeous all year long, from their spring blossoms to their luscious fruit in midsummer. Learn how to grow and harvest both sweet and tart cherries. Also, be sure to protect your cherries from bird damage!

About Cherries

  • Sweet cherries are the variety most often found in markets. They have a thick, rich, and almost plum-like texture. Sweet cherries grow in hardiness Zones 5 to 7; they are self-sterile and best for an orchard or a large garden. You’ll need at least two or three trees, as they’ll need to pollinate each other. If space is limited, consider the dwarf self-pollinating cultivar ‘Stella’.
  • Sour cherries are not usually eaten raw, but are widely used for preserves and other cooking uses. Sour cherries are much smaller than sweet cherries and all varieties are self-fertile. They grow in Zones 4 to 6.

Cherry trees generally start bearing fruit in their fourth year; dwarf trees bear fruit a year earlier. One mature, standard-size tart or sweet cherry tree will produce 30 to 50 quarts of cherries each year; a dwarf tree, about 10 to 15 quarts.

Plant cherry trees in early spring or late fall (when the ground is soft and has a higher moisture content) in a sunny site with good air circulation and deep, well-drained soil. Apply mulch and water well. After flowering in a fruiting year, you’ll need to drape trees with wildlife-safe netting to protect the fruit from birds.

Read Next

Planting

Plant cherry trees in a sunny site with good air circulation; avoid planting near larger trees or buildings that will shade the cherries. Ideally, cherry trees should get at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.

Cherry trees do best in deep, well-draining soil that has a pH of 6.0-7.0.

Space sweet cherries 35 to 40 feet apart; dwarfs, 5 to 10 feet apart. Space tart cherries 20 to 25 feet apart; dwarfs, 8 to 10 feet apart.

When to Plant Cherry Trees

  • Plant cherries in the late fall or early spring (when the ground is soft and has a higher moisture content).
  • When selecting sweet cherries, make sure the different varieties will pollinate each other.

How to Plant Cherry Trees

  • Trees on standard rootstock should be planted with the graft union a few inches below the soil level. Trees on dwarf rootstock should be planted with the graft union several inches above the soil level, which will prevent the graft from growing its own roots and bypassing the rootstock.
  • When planting fan-trained trees, construct the necessary supports before planting. Plant fans only 12 to 15 feet apart.
  • For bareroot trees, place the rootstock on a small mound of soil in the center of the planting hole, and spread the roots down and away, trying not to bend the roots. Backfill with soil.
  • For container-grown trees, first remove the rootball and set the tree on its side; cut through any pot-bound or encircled roots with shears. Don’t cover the top of the root-ball.

Check out this video to learn more about how to plant a bare–root fruit tree:

Growing

  • There is no difference in care between sour and sweet cherries.
  • Apply mulch around the tree to retain moisture, but leave several inches of bare earth around the trunk.
  • Drape netting over trees to protect the fruit from birds.
  • Water routinely in dry areas.
  • Thinning the fruit is not necessary for cherry trees, as they typically thin naturally in early summer.
  • Prune trees every year in late winter to encourage the growth of new fruiting wood. Don’t prune in the fall.
  • Fertilize early in spring with a low-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 5-10-10) a few weeks before trees start to flower, then fertilize as necessary (check soil fertility by testing the soil) until cherries are harvested. Do not fertilize after mid-summer, as new growth needs time to harden off before fall and winter.

Types

Sweet Cherries

  • Early - ‘Black Tartarian’
  • Midseason - ‘Bing’
  • Late - ‘Stella’

Sour Cherries

  • Early - ‘Early Richmond’
  • Midseason - ‘Montmorency’
  • Late - ‘Meteor’

Harvesting

  • Pick fruits only when FULLY ripe (dark red, black, yellow); the sugar content rises the few days before fully ripened.
  • Be ready to harvest within a week’s time. Eat or cook immediately.
  • Pick fruits when firm if they are to be frozen.
  • Be sure top pick with the cherry stem so you do not tear into the fruit, however, take care to lead the fruit spur to produce fruit next year.
  • Hand-picking may injure the shoots and cause infection; cut the stalks with scissors.
  • Remember that cherry trees do not typically bear fruit until their fourth year. Thereafter, they should produce about 30 to 50 quarts of cherries each year.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Birds are common pests, especially with sweet cherries (versus tarts). To avoid bird damage, you can drap nylon mesh netting over dwarf trees, but it’s difficult to cover the larger standard-size sweet cherry tree. Distracting objects such as pie pans can help, but birds can get used to them. 

Another solution is to grow a fruit tree nearby that will ripen before and during the cherry season, such as mulberry trees. (Avoid planting ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry which ripens too late.)

Learn more about keeping birds out of the garden.

Other pests that attack cherries include fruit flies, apple maggots, peach tree borers, and caterpillars (specifically the larvae of the plum curculio). Ask your local garden center about approved sprays.

Brown rot and cherry leaf spot affect both tart and sweet cherries. Black knot and powdery mildew are potential problems for some areas.

Wit and Wisdom

A cherry year, a merry year.

There is a famous myth that President George Washington cut down a cherry tree and then admitted his wrongdoing to his father. This myth was invented by a biographer of President Washington, who hoped to display his honesty. We still think it’s a great idea to commemorate President’s Day with a delicious cherry pie recipe!

Recipes
No-Lie Cherry Pie
Rhubarb-Cherry Crunch
Cherry Berry Pie
Fruit
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Kllymllr</span> Wed, 06/24/2015 - 09:42
Sick sour cherry tree questions! I have spent a week trying to find a few things out about sick cherry trees. I have a friend who said I can come pick her cherries- sour and she doesn't like them. Then she told me how a tree is sick- I did some research and it defiantly is bacterial canker. Then I noticed the other trees all bare the signs of infection as well. The fruits all have tell-tell signs of it and limbs are looking sick. She has one tree they cut down because they thought it was struck by lightening and looked sick. My questions are - we ate some of the fruit, will we get sick? I noticed a bad burning in my stomach every time and now they are sitting in my fridge. Can I compost them? And can I use the seeds to plant my own trees? They have dozens of upstarts all around the trees, would it be ok for me to dig a few up and give it a go at transplanting? Thank you!! I have spent so much time reading and can not find anything on these questions!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/26/2015 - 12:18

Bacterial canker ususally affects young trees. You should destroy the tree and not attempt to salvage any shoots/suckers; the problem is systematic—probably througout it. Our advice would be to discard the fruit in the trash and do not eat any more. We don't know if it made you sick, or the thought of the possibility made you feel ill, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Remember: the problem is systematic, so in all parts of the tree.

 

 <span>Robbie Enlow</span> Tue, 06/23/2015 - 16:57
I live in Houston Texas my grand daughter is now living with me an I bought Cherry's at the store now she wants to plant the seeds when is the best time to plant the seeds/pits Its almost July here .... HELP I want to do this for her as she's 5 I love to garden but have never done trees from seeds or pits thanks
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/26/2015 - 12:47

Well, that's ambitious! Here's some advice from the FLorida Extension (not Texas, no, but not far): Cherry, Peach, and Plum (Prunus species) - Harvest fruit when full mature. Remove the seed. Seed may be sown in the fall or stratified seed may be planted in the spring. Stratify the seeds at 33 to 41 F. The sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) requires 90 to 150 days, the peach (Prunus persica) 98 to 105 days, and European plum (Prunus domestica) 90 days. Seed of plums and peaches should be planted 2 inches deep. Sow the seed of sour cherry at a depth of 1/2 inch. (Like the apples and crabapples, the seed of most cultivated cherries, plums, and peaches will not reproduce true from seed.)

Other fun—and easier—things to grow: Carrot tops: slice off the top, put it into a shallw plate of water (enough to keep its bottom/base wet), and watch for greens to sprout. Or grow lettuce: you'll need seed and seed-starting soil ("dirt" is too heavy), but the germination time is fast and the leaves are edible in days. Or try the avocado seed trick: clean the seed, stick toothicks into the sides and suspend the seed on the picks on the edge of a drinking glass, filled with enough water to wet the bottom 1//3 to 1/2. The seed should sprout from the top. You won't have an avocada tree for years. . . and the same for the cherry.

Have fun—

 

 <span>Liz Feldman</span> Sat, 06/20/2015 - 21:11
I have a cherry tree in my yard in north carolina. I'm not sure which type it is, because it was here when we bought our house. I produces a lot of very small, hard cherries that the birds won't even touch. A lot of people have said there are some cherries that are just not edible, but I don't think that's true. Can I get this tree to produce edible fruit?
<span>Kathy Yarbrough</span> Tue, 06/20/2017 - 15:55
Hi moving into a homesite in central Idaho Supposedly zone 6. There are 3old large trees here that are producing small hard cherries (guessing 20 years) Did u get any feed back on your request ?? Thanks ly
<span>Kathy Yarbrough</span> Tue, 06/20/2017 - 15:55
Hi moving into a homesite in central Idaho Supposedly zone 6. There are 3old large trees here that are producing small hard cherries (guessing 20 years) Did u get any feed back on your request ?? Thanks ly
<span>Aliciakate</span> Mon, 06/01/2015 - 00:30
Hi, I live in Cairns, Australia and have a bunch of cherry stones to hand - I was wondering how to grow a tree from these? Do I have to dry them or extract a seed from inside the stone? I know that cherries need the cold dormant period, but was wondering anyway. Thanks for your help!
<span>Shirish</span> Sat, 05/30/2015 - 09:54
i have two cherry plants 5/6 year old. since last year we get some fruits.this year there was very much flowering.but all flowers fall down.i live at pune,india.now temp is avg.38c.is it caused by over watering? is it necessary to reduce water at flowering stage? pl advice.
<span>Arun</span> Mon, 07/18/2016 - 16:08
Sirish jee kaha se cherry kharida apne?