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Variety fit — California

Can I grow Bing sweet-cherry in California?

The verdict

Not recommended

  • Your zone 9b is warmer than this variety's range (zones 5–8); it may not receive reliable winter chilling.

Based on California’s main growing area (95820): zone 9b, ~1,018 chill hours. Your exact site may differ — check your ZIP.

The numbers

Bing requirements vs. California climate
Bing chill requirement700–900 chill hours
Bing hardinessUSDA zones 5–8
California average chill (95820)1,018 hours (808–1,470 across 10 winters)
California zone (95820)USDA zone 9b
USDA pomological watercolor of Bing sweet cherry
Prunus avium: BingUSDA pomological watercolor, Royal Charles Steadman, 1929 · USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Better sweet cherry choices for California

These meet California’s chill hours and zone comfortably:

Keep checking

Or the same verdict for another region:

Questions

Can I grow Bing sweet-cherry in California?
Probably not — Your zone 9b is warmer than this variety's range (zones 5–8); it may not receive reliable winter chilling.

Sources

  1. [1] Open-Meteo / Copernicus ERA5. Historical Weather API (hourly 2m temperature) — accessed July 2026
  2. [2] USDA / PRISM (Oregon State University). 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — accessed July 2026
  3. [3] Utah State University Extension (Intermountain Tree Fruit Production Guide). Varieties for Utah — Cherry — accessed July 2026
  4. [4] Raintree Nursery. Bing Cherry — variety page — accessed July 2026