Juliet cherry compared to a Montemorency

Hey all,

I read Scott’s powerpoint about really easy to grow fruit and bush cherries were on that list, so I ordered a Juliet Cherry. I’m just curious how people think it compares to a Montemorency, which I regard as the standard tart cherry. Is it a good stand-in?

I don’t have room for a Montmorency and the sense I get is that a Juliet will require less room and maintenance overall.

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It’s been a while since I’ve had a true Montmorency to compare, but I’d say it’s about as good, just different. Biggest differences are that it’s sweeter, so it doesn’t have that “true” pie cherry flavor quite as clearly, and that it’s a darker color when ripe. It’s a very good cherry that I think will be very good baked into desserts, and it also has a nice touch of an almond taste in the finish.

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I had a meteor sour cherry that was just as good as a Montmorency at a mature Hight of 10-12 feet tall and diameter. My NorthStar sour is a little more tart and more colorfully red.

If your space is at a premium you could get a Montmorency on Gisela 5 rootstock. My tree is about 12 feet tall and 12 feet wide with little size control pruning. I think you could easily keep much smaller. It’s at least ten years old. Raintree nursery carries trees on Gisela 5.

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I guess my next question would be is montmorency as disease resistant as a bush cherry?

i have monty and 3 of the U of SK cherries all in year 4. all fruited for me for the 1st time this summer. there was very little difference in flavor but the monty is a little larger with a cleaner flavor. not as much acid as the others. for fresh eating id say monty tastes best but i think for processing the others would be better. disease wise they all have been clean so far but they got spring and late summer fungicide sprays this year as a precaution. no bug damage noticed either. theyre still fairly young bushes so this could change.

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Good to know. Thanks!

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In an unscientific poll among birds in my neighborhood, Montmorency, which my neighbor grows, is the heavy favorite compared to my romance series bushes. I don’t net my bushes and I get most of my cherries. He doesn’t net his tree and he gets very few. But his tree is only on its fourth leaf so maybe when it gets 20 feet tall and is covered in fruit he’ll get plenty. I actually think it may be because there is more acidity in the bush cherries, although that is balanced with more sugar as well when well ripened. Or it may just be a local phenomenon.

For me, I like Juliet and Monty about the same, although probably prefer Juliet for fresh eating and maybe Monty in a pie since it really is that classic pie cherry taste. I will admit I’ve come to like Carmine Jewel better than both Monty and Juliet since it is earlier, a little more intensely flavored and the cherries are nice and dark when really ripe. My two daughters and I love the Carmine Jewel cherries in pie, but my wife thinks they might almost be a little too intense. If I had more room, I’d grow them all, including Monty since I’m a big fan of sour cherries. You will probably be happy with any of them I think, but with limited space, I think the bush cherries are the best choice.

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Well with all the reviews it looks like you can’t go wrong with either. Carmine Jewel is a pain because they can be small. Although I think it has the best flavor of all of them. I made some fruit leather and it was to die for. Hard to make it didn’t want to dry. It was so good I could not stop eating it till it was gone. It also can be kept small easily. Monty doesn’t need a dwarf rootstock I have two trees and have kept them at five feet with little effort. But it is in a severe environment that helps keep them small. I only like dwarf rootstock on sweets. Nothing else. I have kept all my trees at 7 feet or less for 8 years now It works well for me. I have so much tree fruit this year. I still have two pluots and a peach ripening.

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