Can people please share their successes and frustrations with growing cherries- both sweet and tart- in the DMV area? We are obviously not an ideal climate, I would love to hear what has worked and what hasn’t.
You might want to spell out what DMV is. You might get more replies.
Sorry it’s confusing! It’s what people in the Maryland-DC-Virginia metro region call the area since we function more like one massive city. I’ll edit the title
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Here is a good start-
There are many other threads on this with a simple search though.
One of these threads on here has a grower near DC that says he doesnt spray and has great results… i dont remember his name though.
I am in WV and i pretty much have every sweet and tart cherry but im not in the DMV and i am only trialing them.
As far as sweet cherries go-- i picked up 2 bags of them at ALDI yesterday and they are fantastic!
I probably have many many hundreds of dollars in my trees but i doubt that i will ever grow as good of a cherry that i just bought 
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Stone fruits are very difficult (impossible) to grow there. Don’t throw your money away.
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You can grow cherries in that area but it isn’t going to be easy especially for sweet cherries. You will have to spray the trees to control brown rot and use bird scare tape or net the trees. You need to plant cultivars that are crack resistant and suited to Eastern conditions like Blackgold and Whitegold.
It’s doable but apples and pears are much easier and require less of a commitment. I would take a look at the Eastern cherry thread I have linked below. I am growing both sweet and tart cherries in Illinois and the climate here is probably worse than your local climate.
So the bush / nanking cherries that I planted in the fall are doing well. Juliet, Carmine Jewel, sweet thing , cutie pie, Ian and Gabe (I think) and a red nanking.
That’s the best of 3 cherries cutie pie set, the others set nothing.
The white gold I had planted in the fall on mahaleb died. Going to try on I think K7 in the spring next year.
There’s a pick your own up in woodbine, larriland farm, that has sour and a few sweet cherries. I know they have Monty and another, I’m not sure of the sweet varieties.
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Thanks, I missed that one. I’ve read through a lot of them, was looking for something more specific to my climate and that one does fit.
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And I agree that what we buy will probably be better, but at $10/lb buying a tree and caring for it will cost me significantly less than what I spend on cherries for 4 in a single summer! I am planting WhiteGold, and Juliet, montmorency at a family members house (that has room for more things) and have CJ. Have room for one more and go back and forth and back again as to what. Figure I have all summer to read peoples reports and then make a decision.
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I have Nanking red and white, Juliet, Carmine Jewel and Crimson Passion bush types. The bushes have started producing for me except for Juliet. I also planted 2 Lapins in SoMD, and 1 Black Tartarian in NoVA. Each of the sweet cherry trees have 3 varieties grafted (Lapins, BT and Montmorency). I’m hoping to graft White and Black Gold scions on those eventually since they seem to be the most recommended for our area, I just have to find a source for those scions this winter.
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The cherries i got at ALDI yesterday were $6.50/lb
I am fairly sure that they are Tulare and as close to a Bing as i have tasted so far.
Back on topic-
something to think about is SWD… which will probably be another reason for alot (if not all) of my cherry trials to fail…
Yes i am also trialing pluerries… in my quest for something remote to cherry.
I did harvest 1 handful of Nanking cherries last week… they were very very tasty but not enough production to make any kind of discussion. I think i need a genetic variation as both of my bushes were bought at TSC… lots of blooms but very small harvest so far.
Last year i got 2 cherries off of my D’Artagnan bush and they were very very tasty for a sour cherry i thought… but not as tasty as these ALDI ones so far.
I am very early in my trials and expect many many many obstacles and failures… maybe a few will work here though so theres that.
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I don’t think there is really any cost savings in growing your own cherries if you total up all the costs. And that’s if you don’t include your labor as a cost. Also don’t expect any cherries until maybe the third year if the tree is on a dwarfing rootstock. For trees on mazzard (full size rootstock) it will take longer. Some years you will lose much of your crop to animals, insects or brown rot. Trees can die from canker or be destroyed by animals. In the East growing sweet cherries is hard, tart cherries are much easier and apples are much easier still. If you really want to grow cherries I say go ahead and do it. But have realistic expectations, do your research and expect to work at it.
I grow cherries because I like to eat cherries off the tree, I can get varieties I can’t buy in a store and I like growing things. I haven’t saved any money that’s for sure.
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I’m in Virginia on the eastern shore 8a and in 2019 I planted
Craig’s Crimson Cherry
Bing Cherry
Black Tartarian Cherry
For some reason I lost two of them and on this years I only gotten a handful of cherries from the remaining tree.
On the other hand my wife was telling me that while growing up one of her friends from school her grand mother had a huge cherry tree and every year was loaded with cherries.
Not sure if the tree has to be mature to produce fruit the way it supposed to.
Good luck with your decision.
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Hi, I am in Virginia, and I have several Montmorency cherry trees and a Juliet cherry. They have been productive, and it is a constant battle with the squirrels, deer and birds. Growing sweet cherries here is a challenge for the reasons people have mentioned and I did get rid of several that I had.
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That first cherry report linked is mine. I’m not that far from you and for me cherry has not been any more difficult than any other stone fruit.
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Yes I was glad that was linked in as I somehow missed it. I’m really impressed with the array of sweet cherries that you are growing! I managed to entirely miss Black York as a sweet Cherry with some disease resistance. Did you get yours from Mehrabyan? Can I reach out to you in winter for a scion? I would love to graft a few cherry varieties here and there.
No, I got Black York and most of the others locally potted. Remind me over the winter on the scions. I wouldn’t mind getting some pom scion if you have any. Speaking of which, my Favorite showed up and it looked even better than yours. Love that place.
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That’s awesome. I look forward to hearing how yours does. Sounds good on winter scions! Will be in touch