AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been growing plants from seeds for at least 20 years. I have grown literally hundreds of different kinds of vegetables, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, tropicals, some cacti, water plants, iris, rose, lilies, cannas, etc. I enjoy starting from seed.
Experience I've been growing my own seeds for 20 years with indoor propagation equipment I built myself. I am also an Allexperts volunteer on the perennial forum. I have completed the Master Gardener course through the Kansas State University Extension. I have experience with a wide variety of seeds and I have also read through Norm Deno's books on seed germination.
Expert: Tom Alonzo Date: 6/23/2008 Subject: Cherry trees from seed
Question I live in Texas (Houston) but recently visited Monticello in Virginia. I ate some cherries off the trees there and fell in love (I've never liked cherries before) so I saved some of the pits. I researched online and I cannot figure out what they are. They are very dark, almost black, and taste to me like a plum. They are sour. In any case, my question is 1)what is the likelihood of growing something that would produce fruit resembling that which I tasted, and 2)Is it even possible to grow where I live, and if so, how would I go about doing that? I have read that they need cold winters, of which we have a few weeks below the freezing mark where I live, if that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Answer Hi Brittany,
Thanx for your question. According to Texas A&M University, the Houston area does not have a suitable cold period for growing sweet cherries. Most cherries grown in Texas are the sour or pie variety that are grown in the north. You might want to check around your local nurseries to see if there are any new cultivars being sold for your climate. It can be fun to grow fruit trees from seed from fruit we eat from the store. The reality is though that if you were to grow the seed the resulting fruit would not happen until 5-7 years after germination of the seed. Additionally, the likelihood of the fruit being similar to the one you ate, would be nil to none. This is due to the intense hybridization of fruit trees. I have been to Houston/Galveston and other parts of South Texas and I agree with TAMU, it is just too warm for growing cherries unless a nursery has come up with a variety that does not require the number of hours most cherry trees require at 40 F or below in order to bloom and set fruit. I hope this helps.
Tom
