Merchant: smaak en teelt
Vroege donkere kers; passende bestuiver nodig.
By Redactie MoestuinApp · updated
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SeedStepsYour vegetable garden, one step at a time.My gardenVroege donkere kers; passende bestuiver nodig.
By Redactie MoestuinApp · updated
Sweet cherries are juicy and ready to eat; dark colour alone does not predict flavour.
This description applies to the species; a separate taste test of this cultivar has not been confirmed.
Eating cherries as you pick them is a different garden moment from harvesting a crate for processing. A low crown keeps that moment within reach. Plan support, protection and picking space together so that you do not need a complicated ladder route between vegetable beds later.
Sweet cherries are juicy and ready to eat; dark colour alone does not predict flavour.
Sun and good drainage. Plan protection from birds and ensure nets are taut and visible.
Lapins, Stella and Sweetheart are self-fertile; Kordia and Merchant need compatible partners.
Gisela 5 limits growth more strongly than Colt; check the available space.
Maintaining an accessible crown: Choose a suitable rootstock and prevent several steep leading shoots from taking over the crown. Remove crossing or damaged branches during growth in dry weather. Retain productive wood and avoid large winter wounds. Fit taut protective netting to a frame so it does not hang loosely over the fruit.
Harvesting cherries with stalks: Taste a fully coloured cherry to establish eating ripeness. Hold the stalk and carefully detach ripe fruit without tearing off fruiting spurs. Place in a shallow container and keep split fruit separate. Chill the harvest and use it promptly; sweetness does not increase after picking.
Pick fully coloured and ripe, with the stalk; cherries do not become sweeter after picking.
Allow space for the mature tree, not just the plant currently in the pot. The cultivar determines part of your fruit choice; the rootstock and tree form also help determine how much space the tree needs. Draw the crown, harvesting reach and support on your garden plan. Before buying, check whether a suitable pollinating partner is needed and whether one actually flowers nearby.
Where necessary, support a young tree with a suitable stake and a wide, soft tie. Do not let the tie rub or constrict the tree, and check it as the trunk and crown grow. Water must reach the root zone; a small wet patch on the surface does not tell you whether the rootball has enough moisture. Take care when planting and follow the species instructions for the correct planting depth.
Keep samples of the different cultivars separate. Record picking ripeness, eating ripeness, texture and the preparation you used. Fruit that tastes pleasant straight from the tree may behave differently in a pie or during storage. For perennial plants, your own flowering and harvest observations are more useful than a fixed countdown from the planting date.
Checked on 2026-10-12. This guide was originally written using the listed sources. Growing advice from other countries is not a local weather forecast.