Cherries: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!

By CarrieGrowing Food, Growing Guides
Cherries blog post
Cherry trees not only give you the tasty treat of fresh cherries, but also give you a gorgeous addition to your garden! They produce beautiful white or pink blossoms in the spring time. There are 2 types of cherry trees: sweet and sour. Sweet cherries are great to eat right off the tree while sour cherries are typically used in cooking. If growing sweet cherries make sure to plant at least 2 to help pollinate each other, but you can grow only 1 sour cherry tree if wanted. Cherry trees thrive in a moderate climate that doesn’t get too hot or too cold (zones 4-8).

How to Grow:

Cherry trees are best planted after your last spring frost or 8 weeks before your first fall frost. You can see specific dates for your location using our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App.

Dig a hole about double the size of the pot that your cherry tree has come in. Give at least 10-20 feet between each tree depending on the type. Be sure to plant where it will get full sun. Take care to notice what plants are around the area as well, see the companion plant section below. Water your tree regularly.

Companion Plants:

Companion planting is a vital part of organic gardening. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. There are also plants that do not like being next to each other. Some plants get too tall and can provide too much shade for your plant. Sometimes certain plants attract the same pests, so it is important to try and separate these. Herbs are especially great companion plants because they help to repel pests from your other plants!

         GoodBad
BasilMarjoramNONE!
Beans (Bush & Pole)Mint 
ChamomileNasturtiums 
ChivesRosemary 
Cilantro/CorianderSage 
DillStevia 
GarlicSummer Savory 
LavenderSunflowers 
LemongrassTarragon 
MarigoldsThyme 

 
See companion plants for 80+ foods in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web app!

Pests:

Pests can be one of the most difficult challenges you face in the garden. We strive to grow food without the use of pesticide and luckily there are natural solutions for most of these nasty pests! The pests listed below are common pests for cherries:

Learn more about how to manage pests and attract beneficial insects in our FREE iOS, Android, and Universal Web App!

Harvesting:

You can begin to harvest from your cherry tree after about 3-4 years. Harvest cherries when they are fully ripe and the color they are supposed to be (either red, yellow, or black). Harvest by using scissors to cut the cherry stem with the cherry.

Cooking & Eating!

Sweet cherries directly off the tree are amazing! Eat immediately or freeze for later. You can also use these cherries in a number of recipes in the kitchen, like pie!

 

Learn more about growing over 80 different foods, including how to manage various pests in our FREE iOS, Android, or new Universal Web App!

cherries

7 thoughts on “Cherries: How to Grow and When to Plant in Your Backyard or Patio Garden!”

  1. Sweet cherries were one of the main crops of the Santa Clara Valley decades ago, and ‘the’ main crop in Sunnyvale. Tart cherries were grown only as pollinators, bur for some reason, were never much of a commodity here.

    Reply
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  5. The best time to grow cherries is during the spring or fall season. Within either of these periods, start gardening when there’s no danger of frost and when the ground is moist but not drenched in rain.

    Reply
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