«Melitopol Black» - Organic Black Cherry Seeds

Heirloom Black Cherry «Melitopol Black»

This cherry is native to eastern North America from southern Quebec and Ontario south to Texas and central Florida, with other populations in Arizona and New Mexico.

The fruit is about 3/8" in diameter, green to red at first, ripening black; it is usually astringent and bitter when eaten fresh, but also somewhat sweet. The fruit is readily eaten by birds. The fruit is suitable for making jam, cherry pies and has some use in flavoring liqueurs; they are also a popular flavoring for sodas and used in many ice creams.
 

How to Grow

Once the ten weeks has passed, remove the pits and allow them to come to room temperature. You are now ready for planting the cherry seeds. Put two to three pits into a small container filled with planting medium and water the seeds in. Keep the soil moist. When the cherry seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin them, removing the weakest plants, leaving the sturdiest seedling in the pot. Keep the seedling in a sunny area indoors until all danger of frost has passed for your region, and then transplant outside. Multiple trees should be planted at least 20 feet apart.
 

Seed Planting Cherry Trees

Growing cherry trees from seed can also be attempted directly in the garden. In this method, you are skipping the refrigeration and letting the seeds go through a natural stratification process through the winter. In the fall, gather the dried cherry pits and plant them outside. Plant a few since some may not germinate.

Set the seeds 2 inches deep and one foot apart. Mark the planting sites. In the spring, the pits will sprout. Wait until the seedlings are 8-12 inches in height and then transplant them to their permanent site in the garden. Mulch well around the transplanted seedlings to retard weeds and aid in water retention. And, there you have it! Planting cherry seeds is as simple as that! The difficult part is waiting for those luscious cherries.