Cherry Varieties
Cherries can be classified into two types: sweet and tart. The sweets are used mainly for fresh eating, while the tarts are used for pies and canning. Sweets have a disadvantage--the fruit will split or crack as it approaches maturity if rainfall occurs. Some of the sweets are less susceptible to this tendency and should be the only ones planted. With both sweet and tart cherries, bird damage will be a major problem; steps should be taken to reduce bird feeding. Tart cherries are self-fruitful and do not require a pollinizer. Many of the older sweet cherries, on the other hand, do require specific varieties for pollinators (see compatibility chart below). The exceptions are four recently released self-fertile varieties: Lapins, Starkrimson, Stella, and Sunburst it is not necessary to plant more than one variety. Little is known, however, about these varieties' performance in Pennsylvania.
