How to Plant Cherry Pits

Overview

In the summer, cherries show up in markets and on trees in rich abundance. Growing cherry trees from the pit is a fun experiment though the results may be varied. Like many fruit trees, cherries do not reproduce true to type. You may get a cherry similar to the one you planted, or you may get a sour inedible fruit. Grafting is the only way to reproduce a cherry that is true to type.

Step 1

Remove all the fruit from a cherry pit, eating it away is the most delicious way to accomplish this task, but you can also scrape the fruit off with a knife. Leave the hard casing on the seed.

Step 2

Place the seed in a handful of damp peat moss. Put the peat moss with the cherry seed inside a zip lock baggie and put it into the refrigerator for 8 to 10 weeks. Cherry pits need a period of cold in order to germinate; by using the refrigerator you can recreate winter conditions in the ground.

Step 3

Prepare an 8- to 10-inch planting pot with a mixture of potting soil and rich compost. If you do not have a compost pile of your own, you can purchase ready made compost from your local garden store or nursery.

Step 4

Remove your cherry seed from the refrigerator and take it out of the peat moss after the obligatory 8 to 10 week chilling period.

Step 5

Make a ½-inch deep hole in the center of your planting pot using a small dowel or your finger.

Step 6

Place your cherry seed into the hole and cover the top with soil, water the pot and set it on a windowsill in full sun. You should see a seedling in 3 to 4 weeks after planting.