How to Grow a Cherry Tree from Seed or Pit

Growing a cherry tree will provide an abundance of cherries for preserves, pies, cobblers and as a garnish for cocktails. Cherries are loaded with vitamin A and C and are very nutritious. If you have always wanted to have your own cherry tree follow these tips to grow one easily from seed. 

Instructions:

1. Where to Grow Cherry Trees

First you must learn if a cherry tree will grow in your area. One way to discover this is to look around your neighborhood or ask someone you know. If you see or hear of cherry trees growing in your local area, then chances are you can successfully grow one too. Also, if you see cherry trees for sale at your local nursery, chances are good that cherry trees do indeed grow well in your zone.

If you want to look online to see if cherries grow in your area, visit the Arbor Day Foundation in the resource section below. Type in your zip code and the online tool will let you know if cherry trees grow well in your area.

2. Collecting Cherry Seeds and Pits

Collecting cherry pits is the fun part! Eat as many cherries as you can find when they are in season. Your best bet for finding cherry pits or seeds that will germinate is at local farmers markets. Storage practices make grocery store cherries unreliable. If you have a neighborhood tree those cherry pits and seeds should work well too. Unrefrigerated pits work best also. Seeds go through something called stratification each winter when they are naturally exposed to cold temperatures outdoors, before germinating in the spring. Exposing a cherry pit or seed to cold temperatures before eating it and then again before germinating the seed in the spring makes it a little less reliable.

Eat a few cherries. Rinse the pits from your favorite cherries. Put them in a sunny window to dry.

3. Germinating the Cherry Seed into a Tree

In the fall, gather up your cherry seeds and pits that you have collected in your window. Plant them outside in an area that you can keep an eye on regularly. I like to use my flower bed near my backdoor for germinating tree seeds, because I weed it regularly and the trees are not in danger of being overlooked and mowed over.

Plant several of them, as some pits may not sprout. They should be planted 2 inches deep and at least a foot apart. Mark the area where you planted the pits so that you know where to expect to see the cherry trees sprouting.

After you have planted the cherry pits and seeds, wait for nature to do it's work. The cherry seeds will go through a natural stratification process in the winter.

4 . Transplanting the Cherry Tree

In the spring, the cherry pits and seeds will start to sprout into a tree. Wait until the trees are 8 to 12 inches tall and then transplant them to the area you would like the trees to grow permanently. After you have transplanted the cherry tree, mulch well around it to prevent weeds and encourage moisture in the soil. Also, mark the tree location with a stake to prevent the tree from being walked on or mowed.