Plant-A-Day 2020 (Day 112) Cherry “Morello”

A superstar small tree along the driveway bed, this cherry has impressed me from the start. Planted about five years ago, it fruited the first year. In fact, I’ve read warnings that growers should take the cherries off the first few years when they are tiny so the tree puts some energy into branch growth instead of fruit production.

Unlike the sweet cherries that seem to be hit-or-miss when it comes to setting fruit and ripening it, Morello sets loads of cherries every year. The tree is small enough that we can net the whole thing to keep the birds out. Well, almost. The crows still find a way.

This is how the tree looks today (5.2.20).

My 2020 plans for this plant are to fertilize it and net it early against thievery and make a pie from the cherries for the first time.