Skip to content
EveryOrchard
Menu

Sweet Cherry variety

Rainier

The short answer

Rainier requires 700 chill hours[1] and grows in USDA zones 5–9[1]. It needs a pollination partner[2].

Growing facts

Rainier growing facts
Chill requirement700 chill hours[1] (nursery figure)
HardinessUSDA zones 5–9[1] (nursery figure)
PollinationNeeds a pollination partner, bloom group 3[2]
Harvest windowJune–July[3]
Years to bearing5–7 years (typical for sweet cherries)[4]
AppearanceLarge, crack-resistant; golden yellow with a considerable red blush[3]
Rainier sweet cherrySpecies illustration — no historical watercolor exists for this cultivar

Pollination partners

Rainier blooms in group 3. The closest bloom-time matches make the most reliable partners:

Show 2 more compatible varieties

Notes

  • Not self-fruitful, but a good pollenizer for most varieties; needs a partner such as Van, Black Tartarian or Stella. Shares an S-allele incompatibility group with Bing, Lambert and Royal Ann, so it will not cross-pollinate those.[2]
  • Yellow skin with red blush; higher sugar and lower acid than Bing.[2]
  • Rated crack-resistant relative to other sweet cherries.[2]

A year with your Rainier

When the work happens for a sweet cherry in USDA zone 7, anchored to typical frost dates.

Months for pruning, thinning, spray-timing windows, and harvest for Sweet Cherry in zone 7
TaskJFMAMJJASOND
Prune——————————
Spray timing——————
Harvest—————————
Care——————————

See the full month-by-month sweet cherry calendar for zone 7 →

Can I grow Rainier where I live?

Check the verdict for a few regions, or your exact ZIP:

Growing a Rainier? Get its care calendar for your exact ZIP code, with email reminders.

Save this tree in My Orchard

Questions

How many chill hours does Rainier need?
Rainier needs 700 chill hours.
What hardiness zones suit Rainier?
Rainier grows in USDA zones 5–9.
Is Rainier self-pollinating?
No — Rainier needs a compatible pollination partner nearby.

Sources

  1. [1] Dave Wilson Nursery. Cherries — DWN Variety Finder product list — accessed July 2026
  2. [2] Utah State University Extension (Box Elder County). Sweet Cherry Varieties for Box Elder County — accessed July 2026
  3. [3] Utah State University Extension (Intermountain Tree Fruit Production Guide). Varieties for Utah — Cherry — accessed July 2026
  4. [4] University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Growing Fruit Trees in Maine — Lack of Fruitfulness — accessed July 2026