Cherries

ships in spring
Mahaleb Seedling
Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus mahaleb Also called St. Lucie Cherry. Cultivated for its fragrant seeds, which are ground into a bitter almond-flavored spice. Hardy and adaptable. Widely used as a rootstock for sweet and pie cherries. Z4. read more
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ships in spring
Balaton
Pie Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus cerasus Summer. Brought to US from Hungary in the 90s during a search for later blooming cherries. One of the best sour cherries for fresh eating and processing! Z4/5. read more
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ships in spring
Garfield Plantation
Pie Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus cerasus Summer. Heirloom pie cherry grows successfully in Aroostook County. Similar to Montmorency. Hardy, productive, long-lived, disease resistant. Z3. read more
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ships in spring
Montmorency
Pie Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus cerasus Summer. French heirloom. Most famous of all pie cherries. Aromatic firm-fleshed bright red fruit makes a clear light pink juice. Great for processing. Z3/4. read more
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ships in spring
Benton
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Summer. Highly flavorful large firm fruit. Late flowers may miss late frosts. Worthy of trial in northern New England. Self-pollinating. Z5. read more
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ships in spring
Black Tartarian
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Early Summer. Russian heirloom with glossy black color and sweet rich flavor. Once widely distributed in home gardens around the world. Z4. read more
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ships in spring
BlackGold
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Summer. Large beautiful glossy dark red heart-shaped sweet cherry of very high quality. Very hardy. Self-pollinating. Z4. read more
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ships in spring
Lapins
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Summer. Large sweet fruit. Vigorous, productive, upright; bears consistently in central Maine. Self-pollinating, but benefits from second variety. Z4/5. read more
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ships in spring
Rainier
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Summer. Classic dessert cherry. Very large. Good fresh or canned. One of the hardiest sweet cherries. Requires second variety for pollination. Z5. read more
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ships in spring
Sam
Sweet Cherry - Bare-Root Trees

Prunus avium Summer. Large firm medium-sized fruit resists cracking. Flavor is sweet with hints of tart, best left to ripen as long as possible for full flavor potential. Vigorous disease-resistant cultivar. Z5. read more
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Cherries Prunus spp.

Stone Fruits Widely cultivated around the world and adaptable to most of New England. Not highly particular as to soils. Clingstone means the fruit’s flesh sticks to the pit (or stone) and a freestone pit drops cleanly away from the flesh. Like our apples and pears, all our stone fruits are grafted trees.

Sweet Cherries Prunus avium

Generally grow into large trees although the flowers are tender and fruiting can be iffy in central Maine and north. We are testing the hardiest varieties and hope to keep adding more varieties.

Mature trees reach 25–30' tall.

Pie Cherries Prunus cerasus

Also called Sour Cherries. Delicious enough to eat right off the tree and especially good in pies. They fruit in early to midsummer and don’t mind heavy soil. Pie cherries are generally divided into two groups: Morello types have dark red spherical fruit, dark juice and relatively small compact trees. Montmorency (or Amarelle) types have light red slightly flattened fruit, clear juice and medium-sized somewhat open trees.

Pie cherries are significantly hardier than sweet cherries but flower buds may be damaged in colder winters. We often encounter excellent crops in central Maine.

Mature trees reach 10–15' tall.

Other “Cherries” For some interesting fruits sometimes called “cherries,” see Cornelian Cherries and Nanking Cherries. Sometimes we also stock Bush Cherries and Dwarf Sour Cherries, so check back in future years!

Growing Sweet and Pie Cherries

  • Soil: Prefers well-drained fertile soil; pie cherries are more forgiving and adaptable than sweet cherries.
  • Sun: Full.
  • Pollination:
    • Most sweet cherries need a second variety for pollination, so plant two or more for best results.
    • Pie cherries are self-pollinating.
  • Spacing:
    • Plant sweet cherries 25' apart.
    • Plant pie cherries 15–20' apart.
  • Planting: See our planning and planting and pests and diseases pages for more information about soil prep, planting and pest control.