Question
Hi Tom Alonzo,
I live in the Azores Portugal on the island of Terceira.
They say our climate is very similar to California. Bananas oranges lemons and pine apple are grown here as well as it is a palm tree area.
I was in Canada this summer and had black cherries(bing) cherries with my mother freash from the supermarket. I saved the seeds and wish to know when to seed and how to grow and plant an orchard of cherry trees-IF these seeds will grow.
Let me know what you think.
Tahnk you for your Time
Jennifer

Answer
Hello Jennifer,
How fortunate you are to live in the Azores.  I am a veteran of the Air Force and one of my friends and his family was stationed at Lajes in the Azores.  I have always found his stories of the land to be fascinating.  So many places to visit, and so little time and money!  Yes, I believe the Azores have a climate similar to California.

Here's the deal on the bing cherry seeds, and you're probably not going to like it.  The vast majority of fruit sold in the West (Europe and America) is the result of hybridized fruit trees.  Any seeds you save from the fruit of the trees will probably not result in the same kind of fruit you bought.  Reason?  Hybrid seeds are unstable and generally do not result in exact copies of the parent plants, in fact, many of the results will be poor and unacceptable.

Still, it is fun to try to grow a fruit tree from seed.  The cherry seed need about 60-90 days wrapped in a wet towel, sealed in a plastic baggie and stored in the fridge.  After that, plant the seed in a pot about 1 inch deep of good potting soil and give the seed at least 4 weeks to germinate.

You can plant any seed from any fruit you buy at the store, the thing is, most fruit at the store are the result of hybrids and will seldom result in the exact same type of fruit.

Here's another thing to consider.  Fruit trees grown from seed will usually not bear fruit until about 5 years from germination.

I hope this helps.
Tom