Fruit:
Cherries
1. When – Plant cherry trees either in the spring or early fall. If planting in the spring, make sure it’s at least a week or two after your spring frost date.
2. Where – Full sun in well draining soil. Do not plant near other trees to prevent overcrowding.
3. How – Dig a hole twice the diameter of the root ball, and around 1 1/2 times as deep as the root ball. Fill up with organic compost until the hole is only as deep as the root ball. Place your tree in the hole and fill with compost, be sure not to cover too much of the trunk bark with compost, or else it could become infected. If the tree is not planted deep enough, the roots can become exposed and damage the tree.
4. Harvesting – Cherries are ready to harvest when they are firm and completely red. Depending on their variety, they could be a dark or bright red. Do not rush to harvest as in the final few days of ripening they gain a significant amount of their overall sweetness. Tug the cherry slightly to pull off the tree, if they’re ripe it won’t require much force. If possible, keep the stem on the cherry when picking, it will help keep the fruit lasting longer.
5. Tips – Apply 10-10-10 around late winter or early spring to give the cherry tree a head start for the growing seasons. Cherry trees are famous for their beautiful flower blossoms. Be sure to plant somewhere that gets a lot of visual attention in your garden; you won’t regret it.
Type:
Perennial
Time to harvest:
3 – 5 Years
Plant Origin:
Greece over 2,000 years ago
How to Cultivate 