Sour cherry tree

Sour cherry tree: Canopy width 550 cm (217 in). Full sun, 6–8 hours a day.

Key facts

Canopy width	550 cm (217 in)
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	360 cm (142 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Planting

How it is started	From a bought plant
When to plant	Outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 8 °C

Care

Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Takes a light frost → hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Ordinary garden soil, free draining, pH 6–6.5
In a pot	—
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while fruit sets, in dry spells
Feeding	Moderate; in spring
Support and training	A stake; prune, tie in as it grows

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	3–4 years, from planting
Ready when	The fruit has its full colour
Harvest window	All at once, 1–3 weeks
Typical yield	10–30 kg per plant
Botanical family	Rosaceae
Watch out for	Cherry fruit fly, brown rot, birds
First crop after	3–4 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Plan Sour cherry tree in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Sour cherry tree onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

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Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Oct–Nov
Harvest	Jul

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Sour cherry tree →

From the same family

Plants of the Rosaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

What to plant after Sour cherry tree

Crops that still have time to grow on the same spot once it is lifted, from another rotation group.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Tree Fruit in the Home Garden (426-841) — Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech for: between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31
Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home — Cornell Cooperative Extension for: soil; checked 2026-10-31

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