After enjoying some cherry fruits, you may have wondered if you can grow a cherry tree from the pit, or seed. Although it's more common to purchase and plant cherry trees as grafted seedlings, you can grow cherries from seeds too. Referred to as "stone fruits" like their cousins plums, peaches, and apricots, cherries are relatively easy to grow in a home garden. In good years, a single mature cherry tree can yield buckets full of delicious fruit following its spring flowers. Here's what you need to know about the different types of cherry trees, how to grow them from seed, and how to care for your seedlings.
Types of Cherry Trees
Favored for their sweet, tart, and tangy flavors, cherries are a natural fit for baked goods or just eating them fresh. There are two distinct types of edible cherry trees: sweet cherries and sour cherries. Each has their own uses in the kitchen, providing very different flavor profiles.
Sweet cherries (Prunus avium), also known as wild cherries, are native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. They're also found growing across much of North America and parts of Australia. Sweet cherries are hardy in USDA Zones 5-7 and grow to about 40 feet tall at maturity. They are usually grown for eating fresh, with 'Bing' being one of the most popular varieties.
Most sweet cherries, aside from the common rootstock cultivar, 'Mazzard', require a second, compatible cultivar for pollination to happen. This also means that most sweet cherry seeds will not breed true to type (i.e. the resulting tree won't be a copy of the parents). However, unlike many other types of fruit that require cross-pollination, offspring from such crosses tend to be just as tasty as their parents, albeit the resulting trees will likely have a different habit, form, and flavor profile.
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Sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), also known as dwarf cherries or tart cherries, are actually a hybrid of the sweet cherry and European dwarf cherry (Prunus fruticosa) that has become a species in its own right. They're hardy in Zones 4-6, making sour cherries slightly hardier than sweet cherries. Owing to their European dwarf cherry parentage, sour cherries are generally smaller than sweet cherries when planted on their own rootstocks. You can expect them to reach about 20 feet tall. Sour cherries are mostly used for cooking and baking rather than eating fresh. This type of cherry tree is self-pollinating and generally breeds true from seed.
Can Cherries Be Grown from Seeds?
Cherries can be grown from seed relatively easily, especially in colder regions of the U.S. By following the steps below, you can harvest your own cherries within about 10 years. Just remember that not all cherries will come true from seed. In other words, the cherry seed you plant might not bear fruit that tastes the same as the fruit from which it came. If you want to grow cherries from seed, use sour cherry seeds for best results.
How to Start Cherry Seeds Indoors
- Starting with fresh cherries, remove the "pits" (seeds), and clean off as much of the fruit as possible.
- Once clean, allow seeds to dry in a warm, dry place out of direct sunlight for a few days.
- Wrap dried seeds in a slightly damp paper towel or sphagnum moss, then place in a plastic bag or glass jar.
- Place prepared seeds in a refrigerator or cold cellar for approximately three months. Check the seeds periodically for new growth and remove any that have begun to grow.
- After three months, remove seeds and plant in a seed tray or seed-starting pot filled with moist, sand-based potting mix. Give each seed a few inches of space to avoid overcrowding.
- Place planted seeds in a south-facing window or greenhouse. Keep them warm and do not allow soil to dry out.
- Seedlings should begin to emerge from the soil surface within about two weeks. After seedlings have grown their second set of leaves, they can be planted in individual pots.
- "Harden off" seedlings in spring by taking them outdoors and placing them in a morning sun or dappled shade location for about a week. After they have adjusted to being outdoors, seedlings should be placed in full sun.
How to Grow Cherry Seeds Outdoors
For an alternative to starting seeds indoors, sow cherry seeds outdoors in the fall in areas where they are hardy. Place cleaned and dried seeds in a sand-based mix and protect from squirrels and other digging animals. Leave planted seeds outdoors in a full sun location and fully exposed the elements, as they would be in nature. Fallen leaves and snow cover will help keep the seeds moist during drier periods. In spring as temperatures warm up, seedlings will begin to sprout. They can be transplanted after a second set of leaves has emerged.
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How to Care for a Cherry Tree
Growing fruit trees can be a fun activity for children and adults alike. Cherry trees are relatively fast-growing trees and require very little care compared to other fruit trees such as apples. Plant your cherry seeds where they can grow in full sun. Protect seedlings and immature trees from browsing wildlife by wrapping the trunk and lower branches in burlap or tree wrap in the winter. Avoid pruning trees during winter dormancy and instead wait until early spring, just before new buds begin to open.
FAQs
To plant cherry seeds, plant the dried pit of a cherry in well-draining, neutral soil outdoors during the early fall, choosing a spot with plenty of sun and pressing the pit 1 inch (2.5 cm) beneath the soil. You may also wish to start the cherry seed indoors, and plant them outdoors in the spring.
Can you plant a cherry seed and get a tree? ›
The short answer is yes. As with the majority of fruit trees, the seeds will be enough to create a new tree. However, the cherry tree you'll grow won't be the same as the fruit it came from.
Do I need 2 cherry trees to get fruit? ›
Only one sour cherry tree needs to be planted for pollination and fruit set. Many sweet cherry varieties cannot produce fruit from their own pollen and are considered self-unfruitful. These plants require cross-pollination for fruit set.
How do you make a cherry tree thrive? ›
Sweet Cherries Basics
- Select a nursery tree that is grafted on dwarf rootstock and is self-fertile.
- Plant in an area with full sun and well-drained soil.
- Prune to maintain shape and height and to encourage fruiting.
- Fertilize if new growth does not exceed at least 1 foot yearly.
Clean and dry the cherry seeds for planting. You may not get as many seeds to sprout with this direct sow method, so plant a few more than you want. Choose a garden spot where the seeds (and eventually seedlings) will be safe from harsh winds or foot traffic.
Can you plant a cherry tree by itself? ›
Sour/tart cherries have both male and female flowers (also known as monoecious) on the same individual and are self-pollinating, so you could plant just a single tree.
What month is best to plant cherry trees? ›
Cherry trees are easy to plant, and this is best done while they are dormant, between November and March. Bare-root trees are only available during this period. Potted trees are available all year round and can potentially be planted at any time, but will settle in best from late autumn to spring.
How long does it take for a cherry tree to bear fruit from seed? ›
Cherry trees take about three years to establish and can begin bearing fruit in the fourth year. Most fruit crops do not produce the same year you plant it, but once it begins fruiting, it can continue to do so for years—a mature cherry tree can produce about 30–50 quarts of fruit in a season.
What is the easiest cherry tree to grow? ›
1] SUNBURST
Suits all growing applications. Outstanding. Mention must also be made for 'Stardust' a new self fertile white cherry that has pretty white and rose pink blushed fruits with a white flesh and super-sweet flavour. The first self fertile white cherry.
What happens if you don't stratify seeds? ›
(Of course, if you don't stratify seeds this year and sow them anyway, they may come up next year, if they don't feed your wildlife along the way.) Seed stratification basically simulates the natural conditions that a seed would experience if it were to fall to the ground and overwinter.
The seeds of most annual garden flowers and vegetables require no stratification. However, many trees, shrubs, perennials, and wildflowers will only germinate after their seeds are stratified.
Why are my cherry seeds not germinating? ›
Soil temperature too cool.
Warm season crop seeds require warm soil temperatures to germinate. Exactly how warm varies by seed. For instance, popular nightshade fruits like tomatoes and ground cherries germinate best in soil temperatures between 75° – 85°F.
Can you plant cherry pits and get a tree? ›
Like many stone fruits, the pit of a cherry can produce a tree. This guide details how to plant cherry seeds in two ways for even more juicy fruit. If you've snacked on plump and juicy cherries, you know a pit (a seed) lies at the center of the fruit.
What is a natural fertilizer for cherry trees? ›
You can make your own organic soil amendments, like compost, out of food or garden scraps, or even get compost, manure, and other organic soil amendments from a trusted local source. While these help add nutrients to the soil to support your cherry trees, they will not have a “guaranteed analysis” value.
Where is the best place to plant cherry trees? ›
Cherry trees do best in a warm, sheltered frost-free spot in well-drained, slightly acid soil. Morello cherry varieties are generally smaller and will also tolerate some shade, so can be grown against a north-facing boundary. These varieties are also self-fertile, so can be grown without a planting partner.
Do cherry trees transplant well? ›
Pear and cherry trees are particularly prone to transplant shock.
How fast do cherry trees grow? ›
Early fall is the best planting time for bare-root flowering cherry trees, while container-grown specimens can be put in the earth during fall or after the last spring frost. The tree grows moderately, between 2 and 4 feet a year.
How many cherries does one tree produce? ›
On average, there are about 7,000 cherries in a tart tree and 250 in cherry pie, which means a tree produces about 28 cherry pies. There are about 100 whole cherries in an 8-ounce class of cherry juice.
Can you grow a cherry tree indoors? ›
Larger temperate fruiting trees, such as apple, cherry, pear and plum, belong outside, says Byron. They require chilling time and plenty of height and room to bear fruit. Instead, he recommends selecting tropical or subtropical fruiting plants that'll be happy indoors.
