Will Cherries Grow from a Seed?

So you’re pitting some cherries for a recipe or perhaps having yourself a little snacking session on the couch, all while gathering a nearby pile of pits. In either case, you may have looked at these little stones in the center of your cherries and thought, “Will cherries grow from a seed?”

If you bury that pit in the ground and give it lots of water and sunshine, will nature do its work and give you a cherry tree of your very own?

Will cherries grow from a seed? Yes, absolutely. Will it be as easy as we just described? Probably not. Should you still try it? Sure! It's a fun and much cheaper way to get your own cherry tree.

Things to Consider

Before you start leaving little pits around your yard, the first thing you should do is to check the USDA plant hardiness zone of your area. Will cherries grow from a seed? To answer this question, make sure your neighborhood is able to nurture a cherry tree to begin with.

You should also make sure that you get your cherries from your local farmer’s market or from a tree already growing in the area. It’s easy enough to buy a pound of Bings from the grocery store, but store cherries are cooled in a way that renders the seeds unreliable.

Preparing the Pits

Once you have your pits, let them sit for five minutes in a bowl of warm water so you can scrub off the rest of the fruit. Allow them to dry for a few days, then store them in the refrigerator for ten weeks. After that long, you can get the seeds to room temperature and plant them into moist soil.

With the right care, you can give your home a source of delicious cherries for generations to come!