Homeschool Garden Club - Cherries

I know you are thinking that I have lost the plot talking about cherries in November, however, now is the time to buy as a bare root stock. I often mention my two cherry trees in the Orchard Training Garden Club and the Cookery Club because I am luckily enough to have the space for them and the repay me each year with fruit for the cost of them.

If you can squeeze a cherry tree in to you own garden area, please do try to even if it is in a large container. They are blossom-laden in spring and covered with fruit in July.

You can buy cherry trees with grafted root stock which means they can stay small in small garden. The cooking cherry is self-fertilising so you can have 1.

My favourite is the cooking cherry (aka as acid cherries) tree. It is a ‘Morello’ and the fruits are excellent for cooking and make delicious jam. They are also self-fertile, tolerate some shade and are ideal for a north-facing wall.

My sweet cherry is called ‘Stella’ is on the other side of the garden I have to stand guard over it, when it comes in to fruit.

How to Grow Cherries

If you have a cherry tree, now is the time to mulch the tree with a thick layer of material. You can use well-rotted compost and manure or bark chipping.This will protect it from frost and will feed the plant next year.

If you don't have a cherry tree but if you have space now is the time to buy one and get it planted. We bought ours as bare root stock and they have taken time to grow before for they started fruiting but the wait was worth it.

In February, we can start to feed with a general fertiliser. Once I have done this I under plant so that I don't have to weed too much during the summer.

It is recommended that you protect your cherry tree from frost with fleece. I don’t bother as I have small trees below the fence height and they are planted in good sheltered spots. So choose your position carefully.

They do like to be well watered as they set the fruit.

When to Harvest Cherries

Depending on the variety cherries can be picked form July onwards. Ours come in July and we have to pick the sweet ones very quickly