This section will cover both sour and sweet cherries. The sour cherry is the best choice for most home plantings as it is more hardy and most sour cherry varieties are self fruitful. Tart cherries will not pollinate sweet cherries. Most cherries begin to bear the third or fourth year after planting. Homeowners may want to consider bush cultivars 6 to 8 feet high or dwarfs about 8 feet high.
Sweet cherries are larger than sour cherries.
Cherry trees must be kept dormant before planting or they are more likely to die. The roots of cherry are slow in establishing so early planting for this tree fruit is essential. When handling the trees use caution, the buds are large and may be rubbed off fairly easily. The following list of cherries are listed as being hardy in northern growing areas. Sweet Cherries Early Cultivars Black Tartarian - Good pollinator, fruit softens quickly after harvest.