Last year, we had a lot of requests for Sweet Cherry trees. After all, who wouldn’t want to be able to go out into the yard and enjoy these marvelous little bits of joy? Especially as expensive as they are in the store! The problem is, Sweet Cherries don’t grow well in cold climates like Garrett County. Of course, the chain stores would be more than happy to sell you a Sweet Cherry tree because you would have long ago lost your receipt before the tree had matured enough for you to figure out you aren’t going to get any cherries on it. Yes, Sweet Cherries grow in Zone 5, and we are technically in Zone 5… on paper. But….it just isn’t likely you will see much success with typical Sweet Cherries here.
Oh, but we found one! It’s called Kristen, and believe it or not, it isn’t a new cultivar. It was developed in the 1940’s by Cornell University. However, it wasn’t marketed until the last few decades because it was being researched for some time prior to its commercial introduction. Kristen will grow in zone 4. And not only will it grow in zone 4, but it has been found to be a consistent producer of great tasting sweet cherries in cold climates.
It has large black fruit that is firm with a red flesh, and a sweet taste. It is resistant to cracking and bacterial spot. This tree is grafted onto a rootstock that is drought tolerant. It resists Bacterial Canker and is moderately resistant to crown gall and root-lesion nematode. Look for this tree to grow to be about 15′ to 18′.
As with all Sweet Cherry trees, it needs a pollinator. You can pollinate with Montmorency even though it is a sour cherry despite whatever kind of crazy thing the internet will tell you to the contrary. One of the reasons it took so long to market Kristen is because there wasn’t another Sweet Cherry that would grow in Zone 4 to pollinate it. And another Kristen tree won’t pollinate it either. So, the best option has become pollinating with a Sour Cherry. This isn’t optimal for areas where other Sweet Cherries grow well simply because Kristen blooms a little ahead of Montmorency (Tart Cherry Bloom Season), so not all of the blossoms may be pollinated. But for Garrett County, it is a workable option.
