You do not need a nursery seedling to start a cherry tree. The pits left in the bowl after a summer snack are seeds, and with a little patience they will sprout into young trees you can grow on a windowsill or balcony. Greenthumbs Garden shows the whole run in this video, from cracking open a handful of pits to potting up the seeds once their roots break out.
The one part people skip is the cold spell. Cherry seeds need a long chill to wake up, the same cold winter they would get if they dropped under the parent tree. You fake that in your fridge. The seeds sit on a damp paper towel for a couple of months, and when you unwrap the foil you find fat white roots already reaching out. That moment is the whole point of the method, and it works with pits from shop-bought cherries just as well as ones off a tree.
If you like the idea of raising trees and plants from kitchen scraps, this pairs well with a few others on the site. Try growing an avocado from seed, a mango tree from seed, or a lemon tree from seed. For the wider picture on getting any seed going indoors, our guide on how to start seeds indoors covers the basics.
Frequently asked questions
How long do cherry seeds need in the fridge?
Two to three months. Cherry seeds are dormant and need a long cold spell to break that dormancy, the same winter they would get lying under the parent tree. Check the packet at the two month mark, but do not rush it.
Can you grow a cherry tree from a store-bought cherry?
Yes. Pits from shop-bought cherries work just as well as ones off a tree, as long as the fruit was fresh rather than cooked or candied. The seed inside the pit does not know where the cherry came from.
Do you have to crack the cherry pit open?
It is the step that makes the difference. The seed you want is tucked inside that hard shell, and cracking it lets the seed rehydrate and sprout on schedule. Grip the pit at one end with wire cutters and squeeze at the tip, not the middle, or you will slice the seed in half.
Why did my cherry seeds go mouldy in the fridge?
Three months in a closed, damp packet is plenty of time for fungus to take hold. Dust the seeds with ground cinnamon before you wrap them. Cinnamon is a natural anti-mould and it is the reason that step is in the method at all.
What if a seed has no root after the cold spell?
It either needs longer or it was a dud. Rewrap the bare ones and give them a few more weeks in the fridge. The seeds that made it will have pushed out long white roots, and some curl over like bean sprouts.
How long until a cherry tree grown from seed fruits?
Usually seven to ten years, and the fruit will not match the cherry you started with. Treat this as a project for the tree rather than the harvest. If you want fruit sooner, a grafted nursery tree is the shortcut.
