Question
I threw some bing cherries in te freezer whole, we eat them as a cold snack on hot days.  Now I saved the pits, will they still sprout or not. How would I go about it considering they have already went threw a cold period. Any help would be great, and if im out of luck I need to know so I can throw away the pits. Thank you...Mary

Answer
Hi Mary,
Thanx for your question.  Yes, the Bing Cherry seeds should sprout.  I wouldn't plant them until say, December.  They should begin to germinate in a month or so and germination will be sporadic.  I count the number of seeds I put in the pot and that way I know how many seeds have sprouted.  Some, may never sprout for various reasons.

Bear in mind that most fruit trees are hybrids and they are grafted onto hardy rootstock in the orchards.  So, the fruit that results, will most likely not, completely resemble the parent fruit due to the instability of hybrid genetics.  Some plants may be superior, many may be inferior, most will be average.  Also bear in mind, the characteristics of the tree and fruit will vary widely.  Modern fruit trees have been bred for color, size, hardiness, sugar content, etc.  So the results can and will vary greatly.

Fruit trees grown from seed will take 3-5 years to bear fruit.

You can plant your seeds in a pot of regular potting soil, each seed about 1.5 inches.  I like to place the pot inside a plastic baggie or keep in a very warm room under a 4foot shop light (40w) and the seedlings start emerging in 30 days or so.  Keep the pot watered but free draining so the soil isn't soggy.  Pluck the seedlings out gently after they've put on their second set of leaves.

I hope this helps.

Tom