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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)
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
Toxicity
Toxic to Dogs and Cats
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Water Needs
High
Height
10–20 feet
Spread
6-10 feet
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Summer
Flower Color
Pink
White
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Fall Color
Winter Interest
Attracts Pollinators
Attracts Songbirds
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Fruit
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!

  • 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.

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.

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.

Pests and Problems

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.

Types

Sweet Cherries

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

Sour Cherries

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

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!

Fruit

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Donna Jennings</span> Mon, 07/17/2017 - 20:57
I have a dwarf north star cherry tree in my front yard. This is the 2nd yr it has produced berries and there were lots of them. Many of them as being picked were dropped on the yard as they were either too ripe & had brown spots. Question is: must I remove the cherries from the yard to eliminate pests or insects or whatever happens when rotten fruit is left on the lawn.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/18/2017 - 12:54

In large amounts, fallen fruit can provide a home to fungi and diseases, as well as attract insects like yellow jackets (which no one wants). If the cherries are just here and there, then cleaning them up is probably not worth the effort, but if the cherries completely cover the lawn, then it would be a good idea to clean them up and compost them, if possible.

 <span>Bree</span> Sat, 07/15/2017 - 11:26
Hello there I live in the Pacific Northwest on about 5acers. We have quite a few fruit trees on the property that were already established when we bought our place. There is a cherry tree that we have that is producing nice fruit, but over the years there are several other trees, that look like the cherry tree but have grown up around it, I noticed this year that the other trees have produced smaller black looking cherries? I'm not sure if I should cut them down or leave it as is? Also I have a very large cherry tree that I can't even reach the fruit on and a large branch fell off of, is the tree dying? Should I take it out?
<span>Lu</span> Wed, 07/12/2017 - 01:02
Can the sweet and sour cherry grow well in a tropoical climate?
<span>Serena</span> Sat, 06/24/2017 - 15:11
I live in Toronto. In mid Apr this year, I bought a healthy looking small Stellar Cherry Tree and planted in the back yard following the instruction that came with it. About 1 week right after planting it, the weather got cold (1-3 degree C at night) for about 2-3 weeks, then weather was warming up. It's been 2.5 months now but the tree does not have much leaves. Some of the baby leaves that were there before turned brown, especially at the top of the main branches (even the branches' top parts look like dying/drying out). Is there anything you can suggest i should do to get the tree to be healthier? There's still leaves but not much. I was thinking of fertilizing it but not sure if that's a good idea for baby tree? If fertilizing is fine, can you suggest what fertilizer i should use, and how much/often should i fertilizer it? Thanks in advanced for your advise!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/26/2017 - 15:14

Has it gotten enough water? Be sure to water deeply. Was there a heat wave recently? The tree is clearly under some type of stress, whether from weather, pests, disease, or cultural or physical damage. Check the root zone--has there been any disturbance recently? If watering doesn't work, and the trunk and branches don't appear damaged, and the root zone is undisturbed, it might be a disease--several cause wilting/drying leaves in cherries, unfortunately. In this case, you might want to prune out dead branches. Also keep in mind that most sweet cherry varieties need to cross-pollinate with another cherry tree to produce fruit. If you know your cherry’s cultivar, check to see if it’s a self-pollinating variety, and if it’s not, you will need to get an additional tree.

 <span>Serena</span> Fri, 06/30/2017 - 00:34
thanks for your response. It's been raining a lot this year (almost every day or every other day) so water should not be a problem. No heat stroke either as it hasn't been too hot in Toronto since the tree was planted. I don't believe if there's any disturbance on the root either. If it's cause by decease, what type of decease could it be, and how can i treat it? You suggest to prune the dead branch but is it ok to prune the baby tree after only planted for 2 months? It's a Stella Cherry tree and they said it's self pollentated!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 06/30/2017 - 16:03

Hi Stella, Our advice was based on an established tree. We apologize as an editor read too quickly. We see this now that is a young "baby" tree that was only planted in April.  It hasn't really been very long. You generally won't see leaves for about 12 weeks.  The tree is still developing leaf nodes.  Also, it's normal for the leaves that are there to shrivel up a little bit as the tree establishes itself. The "baby" is really focused on developing a root system.  I'd give it a little more time. Also, you are correct in saying that a Stella tree is self-pollinating.  One tree should be ample. That said, even self-pollinating trees always do better with another tree nearby. I hope this is helpful. f you're truly concerned, you might need to call the original place which sold you the tree for more information.  

 <span>George Greenwood</span> Thu, 06/22/2017 - 10:22
I have a Bing and a Black Tartarian about 40 ft apart, both trees about 7 years old.When they blossom both trees are loaded with blossoms.Fruit starts to develop,than most of the fruit drops off.I get a handful of cherries off both trees.What iam I doing wrong.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 06/22/2017 - 15:55

Hi George,

There are many reasons why the fruit on your cherry trees dropped, but some are out of your control and not your fault. It is hard to tell what caused the problem. The first reason is that if there is an excessive load, a tree will thin the fruit itself to reduce strain and to reserve more energy for the remaining fruit. It could be from frost damage to the buds, causing the flowers to form undeveloped fruit, or lack of pollination from bees. Bees are in decline in recent years due to habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and fluctuating temperatures and weather.