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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 3–8 · 41 varieties

Cherry

Prunus avium (sweet cherry); Prunus cerasus (sour/tart cherry)

Rosaceae — the same plant family as apple, peach, plum, european pear and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Cherry (Prunus avium (sweet cherry); Prunus cerasus (sour/tart cherry)) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 3–8. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–5 yr on a grafted nursery tree. Watch for birds and cherry leaf spot. Below: its full sourced profile from 15 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 3–8 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–5 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 8–30 ft
Spacing 144–300 in
Soil pH 6–7est
Frost Hardy
When to plant cherrytypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
Growing
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing cherryevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
3–8
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–7est
Soil texture
Loam, High organic matter, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
8–30 ft
Mature spread
8–30 ft
Growth rate
Fastest
Spacing in row
144–300 in
Between rows
144–300 in
Planting depth
1–2 in
Container size
15–25 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supportingest
Grown from
Grafting, Budding

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1 in/wk
Critical water
Fruit set, Ripeningest
Feeding
Moderateest

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
2–5 yr
That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells.
Chill hours
1000 hrs
Pollination
Needs pollinizer
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at
28 °F
Open blossoms killed at
25 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsBirdsCherry fruit flySpotted wing drosophilaAphidsScaleSawfliesCherry lace bug
DiseasesCherry leaf spotBrown rotBacterial cankerBlack knotPowdery mildewCrown gall

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeopleMedium severity, Cyanogenic glycosides, Toxic seeds, Toxic leaves, Toxic stems

Petsdogs, cats, horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 41 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeWhat it is known for
Attika Sweet — Large
Balaton Sour — Purple Large
Benton Sweet — Red
Bing Heirloom Sweet — Red Large
Black Tartarian Heirloom Sweet — Purple Medium
Carmine Jewel Sour — University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Chelan Sweet — Red
Compact Stella Sweet — Red Large
Craig's Crimson Sweet — Red Medium
Crimson Passion Sour — Red University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Cupid Sour — Red, Purple Very Large University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Early Richmond Heirloom Sour — Red Medium
Emperor Francis Heirloom Sweet — Bicolor Medium
English Morello Heirloom Sour — Red Medium
Evans (Bali) Heirloom Sour — Red Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards describes this astakes the cold
Hedelfingen Heirloom Sweet — Red Large Michigan State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Index Sweet — Red Large
Juliet Sour — Red Large University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Kristin Sweet — Michigan State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Lambert Heirloom Sweet — Purple Very Large
Lapins Sweet — Red Large
Meteor Sour — Red Large Utah State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Montmorency Heirloom Sour — Red Large
Napoleon (Royal Ann) Heirloom Sweet — Bicolor
North Star Sour — Red Utah State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Rainier Sweet — Bicolor Large
Regina Sweet — Red Very Large
Romeo Sour — University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Royal Rainier Sweet — Bicolor Large
Sam Sweet — Michigan State University Extension records this astakes the cold
Skeena Sweet — Red Very Large
Somerset Sweet — Purple Medium
Starkrimson Sweet — Red Large
Stella Sweet — Red Large
Suda Hardy Heirloom Sour — Red Large
Surefire Sour — Red
Sweetheart Sweet — Red Large
Utah Giant Sweet — Red Large
Valentine Sour — Red University of Saskatchewan Fruit Program records this astakes the cold
Van Heirloom Sweet — Purple Medium
Whitegold Sweet — Bicolor
Sources15 cited · 12 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • Penn State Extension
  • UC Marin Master Gardeners
  • UC Statewide IPM Program
  • University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • Utah State University Extension
  • Washington State University Tree Fruit

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 18 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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