First year I’ve had enough sour cherries for a pie! I have 2 trees that I got from Gurney’s (I know, I know…their sales tactics are terrible… but I needed dwarf trees for a small space and had the coupon!) They are 4 years old now and about 6 feet tall. Both Romeo and Juliet bloomed, but Romeo blooms slightly later, and just like last year, we had a late freeze when blooms were vulnerable - so I have not had fruit from Romeo yet. They are each supposed to be self-pollinating.
Juliet produces suckers up to 10 feet away but it’s manageable. I thought my area might not be great for cherries (clay soil), but these thrive with minimal care. No sprays, 6a, in the East. They are much easier than apples and grapes.
These are from the University of Saskatchewan program, so I wonder if my bloom time and climate may be too different for Romeo? I would love to hear about others’ experience with these or other sour cherries, preferably dwarf or can be grafted onto dwarf. I’m so pleased with Juliet, I may one day add more. Carmine Jewel fruit looks too tiny to be worth it - I think my pitter wouldn’t leave me much fruit, and I don’t have time to pit 6 cups of those by hand for a pie! Not sure I want a variety that says I can’t use a pitter, either (like Wowza or Valentine). Also considering Balaton, Evans, Cupid, etc
I like Carmine Jewel. Very reliable cropper. I don’t have a pitting machine, just a hand model. Using it isn’t much better than doing it by hand. I don’t think the long seeds will be a problem with a hand pitter. Someone gifted me Wowza. I won’t have fruit for a couple years I have mature Juliet , CJ and montmorency so plenty of cherries. I have sweets too. Any cherry is worth it. I love the flavor a lot. Almost as much as raspberry.
I love the side-by-side comparison. Thanks. I found a “color chart” for ripeness on the University of Saskatchewan website - obviously their dates in zone 2 are very different from mine – Color Chart
After seeing yours and the color chart, I think I did pick mine too early (competing with birds) but they still made great pie (used 1 cup sugar for 6 cups cherries)
I’ll report on it if/when I get fruit. I get convenience. I grow certain currants because of ease of harvest. Time is money. I wish we had perfect fruit. But it seems all have some flaws. Carmine Jewel keeps a very symmetrical shape. Is compact and easy to keep small. It’s very ornamental. Also easy to net. So it has some features depending on expectations and what one wants from the plant.
