Not the right time yet: plan to start in November, about 1 month away.
Growing Calendar
This month: Oct
Plan ahead for this crop
- •Check growing conditions
- •Prepare for next stage
Watch Out For
Birds are the single biggest threat to a ripening crop. Netting from when fruit starts to colour is close to essential, not optional
Cherry blackfly clusters on new shoot tips, curling and distorting leaves. A strong hose jet or an early soft-soap spray usually controls it
Bacterial canker causes sunken, oozing patches of bark and can kill branches. Prune out affected wood in summer, well back into healthy growth
Common Questions
About growing Cherry in the UK
Do I need to net a cherry tree?
In practice, yes. Birds will typically strip a ripening cherry crop faster than any other common UK tree fruit. Net the tree, or the fruiting branches, as soon as cherries start to colour.
Do cherry trees need a pollination partner?
Modern self-fertile varieties like 'Stella', 'Sunburst' and 'Lapins' don't. Older sweet cherry varieties often do, check before buying just one tree.
Can I grow a cherry tree in a small garden?
Yes, on Gisela 5 dwarfing rootstock, which keeps the tree to a manageable 3–4m, or trained as a fan against a wall.
Why did my cherries split?
Splitting is usually caused by heavy rain right as fruit is ripening, the skin can't expand fast enough to absorb the sudden water uptake. There's no reliable fix beyond hoping for a drier ripening period.
Written from real growing experience, organic methods only. Our story · Our approach
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