How to Grow Cherry
Fruit Tree
Cherries offer showy spring blossom followed by either sweet dessert fruit or sharp cooking cherries. Sweet cherries favour a warm, sheltered garden, while acid or morello cherries are more adaptable and can tolerate a north-facing wall. Dwarfing rootstocks and fan training make cherries realistic even where space is limited.
Planting & rootstocks
Gisela 5 is a dwarfing rootstock suited to compact gardens, while Colt gives a larger tree; rootstock controls eventual size. Plant bare-root cherries from November to March while dormant, if soil is unfrozen and not waterlogged. Place the graft union at least 10 cm above soil level, stake young trees and water well. Choose a bush for open ground, or fan-train cherries against a warm wall to save space and improve ripening.
Pollination
'Stella' and 'Sunburst' are self-fertile sweet cherries, making useful choices for one-tree gardens, though compatible companions can improve crops. Many other sweet cherries need a partner from the right pollination group. Acid and morello cherries are usually self-fertile. Check named varieties with the RHS or a local garden centre, since flowering overlap, not merely tree proximity, determines success.
Care & pruning
Prune cherries only in dry summer weather, after harvest or from late spring into summer, to reduce bacterial canker and silver leaf risk. Remove dead, damaged and crossing shoots, keeping cuts small. Feed lightly in spring if required, mulch annually without touching the trunk and water young trees during dry spells. Net ripening fruit securely against birds, ensuring wildlife cannot become trapped. Maintain fan-trained trees by tying in selected new shoots.
Years to bear
Gisela 5 trees may produce a small crop in two to three years. More vigorous cherries often take three to five years, with sweet types relying on warmth, blossom protection and successful pollination.
Harvest
Sweet cherries ripen mainly from June to August; morellos commonly follow from July into August. Pick when fruit is fully coloured, plump and sweet or suitably sharp for cooking. Snip or lift with the stalk intact to reduce damage. Harvest regularly as colour deepens. Netting should be checked daily, and fruit is best eaten or processed soon after picking.
Common problems
Birds are the chief threat to ripening cherries, while aphids, cherry fruit fly, brown rot and bacterial canker can also occur. Use wildlife-safe netting, remove fallen and mummified fruit, and encourage natural aphid predators. Prune only in dry summer conditions, avoid damaging bark and maintain good airflow. Promptly cut out suspect cankered growth with clean tools, well below visible damage.
Growing Cherry: frequently asked questions
How do I grow cherry in the UK?
Gisela 5 is a dwarfing rootstock suited to compact gardens, while Colt gives a larger tree; rootstock controls eventual size.
Does cherry need a pollination partner?
'Stella' and 'Sunburst' are self-fertile sweet cherries, making useful choices for one-tree gardens, though compatible companions can improve crops.
When is cherry ready to harvest?
Sweet cherries ripen mainly from June to August; morellos commonly follow from July into August.
General guidance for UK home growers. Variety and pollination needs vary; the RHS or a local garden centre can advise for your area. Page updated 18 Sep 2026.