When to plant Cherries
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Takes frost; can go out weeks before the last one.
Practical notes
Plant in dormancy and prune in summer, never winter. Net the whole tree before the fruit colours — birds take a crop in a single morning. Sour cherries are self-fertile; most sweet ones are not.
Knowing when to pick
Taste one — colour alone lies, and cherries do not ripen further off the tree. Pick with the stalks on to stop them rotting.
Storing the crop
A week in the fridge with stalks intact. Freeze whole on a tray, then bag; stone them after thawing.
Crop rotation
Permanent planting: never replant a rose-family plant straight into its own old site.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: cherries diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.