Any sources for black cherry in OC, CA?

18 years ago

So here's a funny story. After months of planning what to grow, I got called out of town for an emergency just when the tomatoes started appearing in stores. By the time I got back, many of the good varieties were already gone. I looked everywhere for a Black Cherry but didn't have any luck. I've never grown it before and was really looking forward to it based on what the reviews I read here. Can someone recommend a place to get Black Cherry tomatoes in Orange County, CA? The closer to Laguna Niguel, the better. I already tried Laguna Hills nursery and Green thumb along with all the Armstrongs and Home Depot/Lowes.

Help!

Thanks

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Comments (4)

rexx
18 years ago
The only place I know of for sure is the Saturday Farmer's Market in Santa Monica (Corner of Arizona and 3rd). Great father-and-son business. They raise a mind-boggling variety of tomatoes -- all in the yard of their Hollywood home.
doof
18 years ago
I'm assuming you want plants, not seeds.

You might want to try Laurel's Heirlooms, in Torrance. They mostly ship on-line, but they (supposedly) have a by-appointment nursery in Torrance with live plants. Tomato plants are available beginning approximately March 20th for shipping to US destinations throughout the year to suit your climate. Chile plants and basil begin shipping mid April.

Local gardeners are welcome to pick up their plants by appointment at our nursery in the Torrance/Lomita area of Southern California, 30 minutes south of LAX, near Western Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

I have grown Black Cherry for three years. It is very good. I planted another blackish cherry, Brown Berry, this year. But a couple of weeks ago, I also started two Black Cherry seedlings for any emergency backup problems. I would offer them to you, but they won't be ready for planting for weeks. I'm in Long Beach.

You might also think about ordering live plants from Darrel at SelectedPlants.com

Selected Plants

Here is a link that might be useful: Laurel's Heirlooms
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scrollo
18 years ago
I got mine at Burckhard's in Pasadena... they had several. It's doing great.
parker25mv
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Honestly, the taste of Black cherries is inferior to tart cherries like Montmorency. Although Black cherries are a bit sweeter than Montmorency, but if you are looking for sweet cherries, Black cherries may not be the cherry type you want.

"Black Cherry" is actually a wild cherry native to North America.

If you are looking to try to grow tart cherries in zone 10 Southern California (i.e. around LA and San Diego), "Albaloo" might be the best to try. This tart variety comes from Iran and apparently has a lower chill requirement, although the cherries can be kind of small. It is being sold by Paradise Nursery.

I might also mention here that Capulin cherry trees, native to the mountains of Mexico, are very morphologically similar and closely related to Black Cherry trees. since Capulin cherries have a low chill requirement and will do better in your area, you might want to consider them. I've seen a Capulin cherry being sold in the plant section of Home Depot before, so they probably can't be that hard to find.

haha, I just realized this thread was about tomatoes