Cherries come in two different versions. Sweet cherries do better in temperate climates, while sour cherries do better in cooler climates, especially where harsh winters are prevalent. To be honest with you sweet cherries are another luxury fruit like grapes. Sour cherries tend to have the better long term storage value in pies, jams and jellies.
At the same time a life without sweet cherries is like a life without ever falling in love. Sure you’re not going to die but you will spend your time feeling like you’re missing out on something special.
Birds are the enemy of all cherry trees everywhere. Personally I would say the only thing that birds like better than bright red cherries are strawberries. This means you are going to have to cover your trees with bird netting. Sisyphus is having a better time rolling a boulder uphill for all eternity in Hades, compared to a man who decides to grow an orchard full of standard height cherry trees with dreams of keeping them safe from the birds.
Growing zone: 4 to 8 for sour cherries. Zone 5 to 8 for sweet cherries.
Time to maturity: 2 to 4 years
Pollination needs: Most need cross pollination. Even plants that are self-pollinated will still produce better when cross pollinated with a member of the same cultivar.
Pruning/Thinning: Cherries do better when they are pruned and trained to an open middle.
Harvest time: Most cherries come ripe between mid-June to mid-July.
Cherry trees need to be pruned and trained to an open middle in order to provide ventilation.
After a full year of growth you should prune back the central trunk and then select 4 primary side branches that are strong. Prune the last 1 to 2 feet off the end of these branches. They should be allowed to remain within a 45 degree angle of where the central trunk was.
Over the next year they will sprout more side branches. The following spring you should allow the first suckers that spring forth from the initial 4 branches and then trim 2 inches after the first off shoot. This will allow the plant to continue to expand its canopy while also allowing the ventilation the soft wet fruit needs to stay free of mold and fungus.
Long term storage options: One of the most underestimated aspects of picking and storing cherries is the need for ventilation once they have been picked from the tree. The high sugar and water content of the fruit makes it prone to gray mold and several unique forms of fungus that might not present themselves on the tree, but will bloom and grow like wild fire if left out in unventilated bags and boxes during the high heat and summer humidity.
As a result, it is best to keep cherries in 1 to 2 deep rows in flat boxes with a fan blowing on them for the first day after picking. Then load them into a refrigerated space to improve storage.
In general sweet cherries do poorly when they are made into jam or pie filling. With the right recipe they will put up in the root cellar for to 1 year. Sour cherries can last longer when put up as pie filling and jam with sugar-pectin.
Cherries make a very dry wine alone but when combined with a sweeter berry wine like strawberry they help improve the depth of flavor presented by each.