What cherries do well in eastern Idaho?

One of the iconic symbols of America is the cherry pie. Cherries can be a fun crop to grow in eastern Idaho, but not all cherries are created equally. To get to a harvest there are a few things that need to be considered.

There are two categories of cherries, Sweet Cherries and Tart or Pie Cherries. Sweet cherries are a fleshy drupe (stone fruit) that is generally heart shaped to nearly globular, measures about 1 inch in diameter, and colors vary from yellow to red to nearly black. The acid content of the sweet cherry is very low, and as the name implies, are extremely sweet to the taste. Sweet cherries can be eaten fresh or cooked to make jams, jellies, and pies.

Tart or Pie Cherries, on the other hand, are bright red in color and nearly the same size as a sweet cherry. They have a crisp tart taste and are generally used in baking and cooking. Because of their tart taste they are preferred for use in cherry pies.

Fruit characteristics are just one difference between sweet and tart cherries. When growing them there are several differences that will make a difference in east Idaho that you will need to know.

First, tart cherries are much colder hardy than sweet cherries. Sweet cherries may be grown in certain parts of Idaho, but certainly not in the eastern part of Idaho. Our cold climate is not suited for sweet cherries which will have bud injuries at -20°F. Tart cherries can get down to -40°F before injury occurs.

The second issue is that sweet cherries need a pollinator tree to produce fruit. They cannot self-pollinate like the tart cherry can, so you will need two trees and many times more than one cultivar.

The final issue is when they pollinate. Sweet cherries flower and produce pollen earlier in the season, and in east Idaho, that means before our last frost, killing the blossoms. Tart cherries will blossom later in the year allowing blossoms to survive the cold weather.

Below are cultivars of both sweet and tart cherries. Good luck with your cherries this year.

Sweet Cherries

Only marginally hardy in much of Idaho, sweet cherries often suffer from sunscald. Buds can be injured at –20°F. Many cultivars require cross pollination. Select a pollinator from a different pollination group.

Tart (Pie) Cherries

More cold hardy than sweet cherries, tart cherries are rated to -40°F or colder. They are more suitable for southeast Idaho than sweet cherries. The fruits are tart and make excellent pastries. Trees will grow from 6 to 15 feet tall and usually bear after 3 years of planting. In addition, most tart cherries are self-fruitful, meaning they can pollinate themselves; you only need one tree or cultivar.