Games

A ten-question quiz, a short stepper through a cherry year, and a myth-or-fact set. The answers follow the sources used on this site.

Quiz

Sweet cherries for eating fresh, the RHS says, are derived from:

Acid cherries, the RHS says, will tolerate:

If you only have room for one tree, the RHS says, you should:

The usual time to prune a cherry, the RHS says, is:

On the grow-your-own page, ‘Gisela 5’ restricts trees to:

Harvest cherries, the RHS says:

Britannica says the pit of a cherry contains:

Cherry fruit drop, or run off, is:

Cherries, the RHS says, are usually grown as:

Among acid cherries, the RHS lists ‘Morello’ AGM as:

A short path through a cherry year

Choose the type first: sweet cherries, from Prunus avium, for eating fresh in a sunny spot; acid cherries, from Prunus cerasus, for cooking, which will also take some shade, including a north-facing wall.

If you only have room for one tree, buy a self-fertile variety. Many modern sweet cherries, and the acid cherries in the list we checked, are self-fertile. A compatible partner nearby still usually means a larger crop.

Size is mostly set by the rootstock. ‘Gisela 5’ is semi-dwarfing; ‘Colt’ is semi-vigorous. Two official RHS pages do not give identical heights for either, so both figures stay in view.

Plant while the tree is dormant, between November and March, in a warm, sheltered place that is not prone to late frosts. Bare-root trees are only sold in that window; container-grown trees are sold all year.

Blossom is early, and a late frost can spoil the crop. If the tree is small enough, cover it overnight when frost is forecast, then take the cover off by day so insects can reach the flowers. A potted tree can go into a greenhouse or porch.

Net the tree before the fruits start to colour up, and keep the netting taut so wildlife does not get caught. A fan against a wall is much easier to cover than a free-standing tree.

Pick only fully ripe cherries, by the stalk, in dry weather if you can. They will not ripen further after picking. Too much rain or water at this point can split the skin.

Then prune, usually in late July or August, on a dry day, when the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker is lower. Acid cherries fruit on the previous year’s shoots, so they need that annual cut.