Selecting a Cherry Seed
First, you’ll want to determine what kind of cherry tree you want to plant. Sour cherries or sweet? Red cherries or black cherries? Cross-pollinating or self-pollinating? Here are important tips to help you select an appropriate cherry seed.
Consider your growing climate. Cherry trees need eight hours of sun every day to produce fruit. They do best in well-drained soil with a neutral pH. Cherry trees are part of the Prunus genus like peaches, nectarines, and plums. As such, they can be grown in soil without having to test for toxic residue, as any residue will not make its way into the fruit. Zones for sour cherries: Sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), also known as tart or pie cherries, will grow in USDA zones 4 through 6, so these are best for colder climates. These trees grow up to 20 feet tall. Zones for sweet cherries: Sweet cherries (Prunus avium) grow up to 35 feet or taller in USDA zones 5 through 7, or in USDA zones 8 and 9 in the Pacific Northwest. Self-pollinating cherry tree: If you do not have room for two cherry trees to cross-pollinate for fruit, consider a dwarf cherry tree, such as the semi-dwarf ‘Stella’ cherry tree, which is self-pollinating. Talk to an orchardist: Check with your orchardist at the farmers’ market to confirm what kind of tree the cherries came from and if they’ve had any issues growing them in the area. Only use fresh local cherries for pits. Don’t get supermarket cherries as they may have been refrigerated after harvesting, and the viability of the seeds may be affected. Select fresh local cherries to harvest seeds from, so you know the trees they produce will survive in your agricultural growing zone, also known as the USDA plant hardiness zone.
Preparing, Planting, and Germinating a Cherry Seed
Once you’ve eaten your fill of cherries (the fun part!), save some seeds so you can grow more cherries at home. There are two ways to propagate cherry trees with seeds. One way is to prepare and plant them in the spring. The second way is to plant them in the fall. Preparing and planting cherry seeds in the spring: Preparing and planting cherry seeds in the fall: You can also skip the stratification indoors and plant cherry seeds directly outside in the fall, allowing them to go through a natural cold period in winter. You may not get as many seeds to sprout, so plant a few more than you want in a garden spot where the seedlings will be safe from harsh winds or foot traffic (you will be transplanting these trees later when they get a few inches tall). Keep an eye out for them to appear in the spring. You’ll want to put a light layer of mulch around them to hold moisture in the soil. Transplant to their permanent spot when they’re 10 to 12 inches tall.
Protect Your Cherry Trees From Wildlife
If you have issues with deer or other wildlife that eat plants, such as rabbits or woodchucks, protect your young fruit trees in the winter. Wrapping them loosely in burlap in mid to late autumn is a good way (deer hate chewing through burlap), and it lets nourishing sun and rain through. Remove the burlap before blossoming in early April. You may want to do this every year for the first two or three years to protect the bark, as many critters find young fruit tree bark tasty, especially in a lean winter before spring foliage appears. Your chances of having these young trees reach maturity will be much better if you can keep wildlife from eating them.
How Fast Do Cherry Trees Grow?
You may wonder how long it takes to grow a cherry tree from a seed. Expect cherry trees to start bearing fruit within seven to 10 years. You can shorten the time to fruiting if you graft a cherry tree seedling onto existing cherry tree stock. Meanwhile, read up on how to prune and care for them, and how to troubleshoot any problems, such as why the tree isn’t bearing fruit.
