For a PDF on this topic...

Here is a link that might be useful: Cherry Varieties for New Jersey

Ramble:

Oh, where to begin! Sweet cherries are happy in cool, moist climates (such as Germany), and in the hot, dry summers of California and Washington State. They also do well in certain microclimates such as the shores of the Great Lakes. What they will not abide is the combination of hot summers and high humidity that we have in much of the eastern USA. There is no one who would like to grow sweet cherries more than I, and I have tried ten different varieties over the years, but have given it up. Bing, Van, and Rainier are among the varieties I tried, but not the others you list. Anything with "giant" in its name sounds like a particular non-starter.

If that's not enough to give you pause, let's turn to the trees themselves. Sweet cherry trees are notoriously susceptible to a common disease of prunus generally called bacterial disease or canker. The reservoirs for this disease are the wild cherry species Prunus Serotina and Prunus Virginiana, which widely scattered throughout the east. If you can get a sweet cherry tree up to five years without an outbreak of this disease you will be doing very well indeed.

Sweet cherry trees often take 3-4 years or more to begin appreciable blossoming, and when they do, it is early. Late frosts can take them. They are also not easy to pollinate. If you finally get a good fruit set, the fruits will often rot on the trees from the heat/humidity before they are fully ripe, and when they are close to maturity a thunderstorm followed by a hot day will cause them to crack open.

Sweet cherries seem to hold an attraction for deer greater than any other tree. They will eat a young tree down nearly to the graft.

I am sure you will find some encouragement here from someone who has had a good year or so with sweet cherries in the east. That's fine, and that is what makes this a ballgame. But don't make a hasty decision, and don't go into it whole hog. Try maybe 3 pollen-compatible trees, then give us a report in about 5 years. I would, however, choose varieties like Lapins or Stella, which may offer a better chance than those you list. Or do what I do and grow tart cherries, which do marvelously well in the east.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Don's east coast is not mine, and yours lies somewhere in-between. I think he is excessively negative regarding your potential- he's a bit too far south but you may be OK.

I read the Rutgers list, but it seems a bit dated so I'd contact your cooperative extension to see what the closest commercial growers to you are having most success with- it will probably be the varieties that are already long since sold out from Adams County Nursery's inventory.

I have pretty good success with Ranier here and usually I don't loose crops to frosts- it is cracking that kills me. When you get rain as they ripen the fruit is very difficult to protect which is why you shouldn't bother with varieties like Bing and Utah Giant or other predominantly west coast types with little crack resistance. Expect to need a very good fungicide on the fruit as it ripens on wet years and still to have mostly cracked fruit. Go for crack resistance when selecting varieties.

As the fruit ripens it must be completely netted from birds at most sites, which is one more reason not to choose cherries as the first fruit to experiment with in a home orchard. I guess I agree with Don more than disagree on this one.

For me slightly north of Don I have found the birds and cracking to be the biggest problems, followed by oriental fruit moth which some years horribly infests the cherries. I have not had much problem with canker or late frosts or deer on them. But, if you add up all of the problems waiting for your trees its a dicey proposition. If you do decide to get a cherry make crack resistance be the #1 thing to look for. Oh, and I forgot about the horrible leaf-curling cherry aphids I can't seem to get rid of, or the powdery mildew that comes along in July/August. Overall, as Don suggests they really do seem like a fish out of water since the climate is so far away from what they are used to. This makes them an eternal struggle, though exactly what you are struggling against will vary by year and location.

Scott

I have been thinking about getting a couple of sweet cherry trees, but heard that they don't do well in Southern California? Is this true? Also now after reading your reponses, I'm not sure if I would even want to grow any cherrie anymore with all the problems.

In wet parts of Chile, they grow whole orchards of sweet cherries under plastic because of splitting issues. High tunnels in Britain and Michigan are very successful in raising excellent quality cherries...

ocbrian: So Cal is a world away from the east coast. In much of your area the primary problem is lack of winter chill. You might want to try Minnie Royal and Royal Lee from Bay Laurel Nursery. They are 300 to 400 chill hrs. Your other primary problem will be birds. Other than that they are pretty trouble free in your area.

I Grow sweet cherries here in upstate NY near lake Ontario,the only problem I ever had occasionally a late frost can damage the blossoms.Van is my favorite sweet cherry ,I also grow Bing,Stella and many others,including Black Gold a late blooming variety

I read an article in Good Fruit about Michigan tunnel growing at MSU where almost the entire crop was cracked because of water uptake from the roots. Research continues to determine how to make tunnel growing profitable there. No done deal yet, apparently.

Made me wonder whether if you kept the soil dry the couple weeks preceding ripening with sheets of plastic if it might reduce cracking even with untimely rain.

I think it depends as much on your objectives and temperament as it does the fruit tree. I'm not on the east coast by any means, but my climate is rather less than ideal for sweet cherries not entirely unlike that of the east coast. Twelve years ago I planted 1 each of Kristen and Gold near the house to benefit from the drainage the house perimeter drain would provide. These trees today are nearly 30' tall and easily my favorite fruit trees. I get a good crop about every 3 years; late frosts and rotting take the bulk of the other 2 years on average - it all depends on the weather. However, in a good year I harvest dozens of gallons of fruit. Kristen makes pies to die for, very rich and aromatic without the level of tartness familiar in standard pie cherries. I mix in a few of the golds in each pie for the interesting color contrast.

Other varieties have failed to thrive for me, but I'm thankful I found a couple that do OK. In off years I still have all the other fruit - and sweet cherries in the freezer.

"What they will not abide is the combination of hot summers and high humidity that we have in much of the eastern USA"

I'm with the cherries!

Every time I visit East of the Mississippi, I ask myself 'How do these people live here?' All those bugs and that humidity! Ugh! I lived in Seattle for 6 years, and even though it rained quite often, you weren't swimming in unescapable humidity like people do in the East.

(not to make anyone defensive--I'm sure there are charms and memories in your home towns I'm not appreciating!)

Carla in Sac

Carla of Sacremento, I despise your states capitol. An endless sprawl of franchise stores- you can barely find a restaurant or business of any kind that actually represents any individual creativity. The archetecture of the last 40 years is the ugliest most depressing cancer existing on the the face of this planet- from your ticky tack homes to your businesses.

As far as the weather, how can any true gardener stand a climate that provides no moisture during the growing season and seems to be in almost perpetual drought. Most of the time the landscapes look like the plants are being tortured for lack of water.

And Sacramento weather isn't even very warm in the winter- very exposed to winds so when it's freezing it feels like zero.

I was raised near Malibu CA and am happy to be in the muggy northeast, where spring is an explosion of life and the flora thrive in an emerald paradise and the senses get to expereince true seasons.

Do not pitty the rest of us. (actually I love CA- at least the not man-made part, and my northeast as well, but gloating gets my gander up)

I'm an East Coast native that lived in San Francisco (which I still love) for 3 years. I can do without most of July and August in VA, but the trade off is more than worth it. Come visit the East in the spring or fall and you'll see what you're missing with CA's seasons.

Can anyone reccommend a dwarf sweet cherry tree for CT? I am also considering a northstar cherry tree for tart cherries

Look up Raintree Nursery:

http://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/producttype.cfm?producttype=Cherries%2DSweet

I got a combo dwarf cherry there but the website doesn't have it. It may have sold out this year. You can call them.

That's a good one!! More likely rained from September to June without stopping. I was born and raised in Bumpershoot town in Capital Hill area. I'll take the humidity, at least your shoes dry out occasionally.!!

Sweet or tart...birds get all mine. If for whatever reason you produce no fruit for me to eat...your gone! I pulled my 3 cherries out. If I had tons of room, I'd have a few for the pretty flowers, but that is is.

They grow Bing and Montmorency here in Michigan. The only problems we face are late frosts and heavy rainfall (cracking). Stella resists cracking, and you could find a later blooming cherryÂ....if you also face theses problems.

Hope this helps

I have Kristin, Lapins, Black Gold, and Stella all currently flowering (some now like Lapins/Black Gold, and some started a few days ago like the other two).

I'll let you know in a few months how they turned out.

If you really want to grow them, get them on Gisela and grow them in large pots. Rain coming? Wheel them into the garage. Cracking solved!, same for frost.

I have the 4in1 combo trees from Raintree as well. The are 4yo now and doing well. On G 5 rootstock. I live at the jersey shore. They grow: Royal Anne, Montemorecy, Lapin, Stella. I called Raintree because I also did not see the dwarf 4in1 trees in their catalog for 2010. I thought it had something to do with the expensive license to sell Gisela 5 Rtstock, but they said they lost them to a frost. The cherries seem to do well here. God knows we get enough chill hours! : /