Located W1, K4 planted 2015)Plant tart cherries in full sun on well drained soil. Tart cherry trees are much less vigorous than sweet cherry trees but we dwarf both by using Gisela dwarf cherry rootstocks so we can have trees we can net and keep the fruit from the birds. In colder locations, planting on somewhat higher ground, if possible, can help avoid frost damage since tart cherries bloom early in the spring. Surefire blooms later
than other tart cherries. Tart cherries are self fertile, so you can have fruit with just one tree.
Netting cherry trees is very important: We have found that birds eat most of our cherries unless we put up bird netting in late May, just as the cherries begin to turn red and begin to ripen. We have found that netting is very difficult with freestanding trees, even when using dwarfing rootstocks. It is much easier and less time consuming to net cherry trees grown on wires on a trellis so that is how we are now planting and growing our cherries.
Descriptions and Location of the tart cherry varieties on this trellis.
