Growing Cherry in Australia: The Complete Guide
Cherry is a moderate to hard stone fruit tree to grow, needing full sun with regular, deep watering.
We get asked about cherry often enough that it's worth setting out the full picture here, beyond what fits on our printable card.
High chill, needs netting
Sweet cherries have among the highest chill requirements of common stone fruit and are a magnet for birds — reliable netting infrastructure is almost as important as the growing itself.
Planting Cherry
Method — plant bare-rooted while dormant; consider a dwarf rootstock for easier netting. Soil — well-drained, fertile. Timing — plant in winter while dormant.
Keeping It Growing Well
Keep these points in mind:
- Check chill hour requirements carefully — many sweet cherries need very cold winters.
- Plant a compatible pollinator unless growing a self-fertile variety.
- Net thoroughly as fruit colours up — birds will otherwise take the whole crop.
- Prune in summer to reduce disease entry.
Problems to Watch For
Worth paying attention to:
- Birds — the single biggest challenge; net well before fruit ripens.
- Fruit fly — net or bag as an added measure.
- Brown rot — improve airflow, remove affected fruit.
- Poor fruit set — insufficient chill or no pollinator.
Picking and Keeping Your Harvest
Signs — full colour and firm-plump, sweet on tasting. Method — cut with scissors rather than pulling, leaving the stem attached. Curing — none needed. Storage — fridge, about a week.
For the condensed, printable version of everything above, head to the main cherry guide page.