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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

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri, 05/27/2016 - 12:10

Sweet cherries are not self-fertile and need another sweet cherry variety for cross pollination. Sour cherries are self-fertile and you only need one. See our planting and care information above. The varieties mentioned above will all grow well in California.

 <span>Laura</span> Wed, 04/13/2016 - 21:06
I'm looking at fruit trees to grow in my back yard in the Austin, TX, metro area. We are west of the Balcones fault line, so our ground is limestone, no sand. Our winters are mild, summer can be harsh. I'm getting conflicting info on whether cherry trees will grow well here or not. By zip code, I'm zone 8b. What would you suggest - could I be successful with cherries? Thank you!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 04/14/2016 - 14:56

Hi, Laura, your very best resource on this topic may not be far from you. We looked into the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the Univeristy of Texas at Austin and found this information.

We suggest that you contact the Center for more about this or other ideas they might propose to you.There is a contact "button" on the Web page link above.

 <span>Polly</span> Sun, 04/10/2016 - 23:03
We wanted to plant some Ranier Cherry trees in our yard. I am getting mixed information about the hardiness. We live in zone 4b. Can they survive? Also can ranier pollinate with another ranier, or does it have to be a different type of cherry? Thanks!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 04/12/2016 - 16:08

Rainier cherries are hardy to zone 4 and we believe that they should survive in your region. Rainier cherries need another tree to bear fruit. Good choices are Bing, Black Tartarian, Craig's Crimson, and Lapins.

 <span>Shelby</span> Sun, 04/10/2016 - 21:13
Is it normal for a Lapins Cherry tree to have a 10-12 foot leader with only two very small lateral branches 3-4 feet off ground? Looks weird, am I supposed to prune it back?
<span>Donna In Michigan</span> Sat, 03/26/2016 - 14:03
I read that one should plant cherry trees in late fall or early winter. After reading that information does it mean that one should not plant cherry trees (outdoors) in the springtime when they are most available for purchase at area nurseries?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 03/28/2016 - 14:00

Autumn is often recommended as the best time to plant trees, but you should plant when you can—ad ive the tree the best conditions conducive to its thriving. Plant in spring, and be sure that you water it adequately (read the label and other information here). The challenge with planting in spring is (among others) that summer comes and people forget about the new tree or figure it'll take care of itself. It won't; you need to help it, esp with water.

Hope this helps—

 <span>Kathleen Barthelmes</span> Sun, 03/20/2016 - 18:55
Hi - We have received a donation of cherry trees (I don't know what kind) that might be planted along the Hudson River in Peekskill, NY. My concern is the constant wind in this location. In winter and all seasons. Can these trees grow and develop under these conditions assuming they will be planted properly and fertilized and watered. Thanks, K
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 03/24/2016 - 15:18

Hi Kathleen,

If planted in a windy area, stake each cherry tree so it will grow straight.

Good luck!