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Species guide

Sweet Cherries

15 sweet cherry varieties with cited chill-hour, zone, and pollination data. Most need a pollination partner.

Variety catalog

  • Bing700–900 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–8needs partner

    Exceptionally large; dark burgundy skin, nearly black when fully ripe

  • Black Tartarian~700 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner
  • Brooks~500 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones —needs partner
  • Craig's Crimson500–600 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 4–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)self-fertile
  • Kansas Sweet~500 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 6–8 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner
  • Lambert~800 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–8needs partner

    Very large, firm, heart-shaped; black skin with dark, sweet flesh

  • Lapins~500 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)self-fertile
  • Rainier~700 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner

    Large, crack-resistant; golden yellow with a considerable red blush

  • Royal Ann~700 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–7 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner
  • Royal Rainier~500 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner
  • Stella400–500 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 5–9self-fertile

    Large, heart-shaped; dark red to nearly black skin

  • Sunburst~800 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones —self-fertile
  • Sweetheartchill —zones 5–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)self-fertile
  • Utah Giant~800 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zone 6needs partner

    Very large and flavorful; sweeter and larger than Bing or Lambert

  • Van~700 chill hrs (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)zones 4–9 (Figure from a nursery catalog; no extension-published value.)needs partner

(est.) marks our clearly-labeled estimate where no source publishes a figure (hover for the basis); dashed badges cite nursery catalogs rather than extension sources; “—” means nobody publishes that figure for the variety.

Growing sweet cherries: the basics

Sweet cherries make large, handsome trees, but most varieties can't set fruit from their own pollen — so plan for a compatible partner and give them room from the start.

Sun & site

Sweet cherries need full sun — at least eight hours a day — along with good drainage, wind protection, and enough space for a full-size tree. They bloom earlier than tart cherries, so avoid low frost pockets and warm exposures that push bloom even earlier into the reach of a late frost.

Soil

Give sweet cherries moist, well-drained, fertile soil and steer clear of wet sites, where they are prone to root problems.

Pollination & spacing

Most sweet cherry varieties are self-unfruitful — they can't set fruit from their own pollen — so plant at least two different, compatible varieties that bloom together. A few newer varieties are self-fruitful, but even those crop more heavily with a partner nearby. Space trees to match their mature size; a tree that will reach fifteen feet tall wants roughly fifteen feet of room.

Watering & first years

Aim for about an inch of water a week from rainfall or irrigation while young trees establish, and keep the area around the trunk clear so the tree isn't competing for water and nutrients.

Planting

Set the tree so the bud union — the graft of the variety onto the rootstock — sits one to two inches above the soil line, which keeps the variety from rooting on its own. The rootstock you choose determines whether the tree is standard, semi-dwarf, or dwarf, so match it to the space you have.

Where this guide comes from

This growing guide is drawn from the university-extension sources below.

  1. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Growing Cherries in the Home Garden — accessed July 2026
  2. Penn State Extension. Cherries in the Garden and the Kitchen — accessed July 2026

Plan the year

Month-by-month sweet cherry care, anchored to each zone’s typical frost dates: