Can i grow trees from seeds of fruit i saved from store bought cherries?

self pollinating sweet cherries come pretty close to their parentage from seed and the beauty is if it doesnt come tru you can graft what you want on it.

While self-pollinating sweet cherries are more predictable than cross-pollinated varieties, they still produce offspring with significant genetic variation

. Growing from seed remains a “game of chance,” though your strategy of using the seedling as a fallback rootstock for grafting is highly effective.

Genetic Reality of Seed-Grown Cherries

Genetic Variation: Cherry seeds are the result of sexual reproduction, meaning each seed is a unique hybrid of its parents’ DNA. Even in self-pollinating trees like Stella or Lapins, the seeds are not exact clones and will likely differ in fruit quality, size, and tree habit.

Fruit Quality: There is a high probability (often cited as 100 to 1 odds) that a seed-grown cherry will produce fruit of lower marketable quality than the parent. However, some offspring may still be “tasty” even if they differ from the original.
Time to Fruit: Seedlings typically take 5–10 years to bear fruit, whereas grafted trees from a nursery can produce in 3–7 years.

Grafting as a Solution

If the seedling produces undesirable fruit, it can serve as a vigorous rootstock.

Topworking: You can graft proven varieties—such as Lapins, WhiteGold, or Sweetheart—onto your established seedling once it is 2–3 years old to ensure high-quality fruit production.
Multi-Grafting: You can even graft multiple different cherry varieties onto a single seed-grown tree to create a “multi-graft” tree that extends your harvest season.

Reliable Self-Pollinating Varieties

If you decide to graft or buy, these varieties are known for their self-fertility and reliability:

Stella: The original self-pollinating sweet cherry; very popular for home gardens.
Lapins: A cross of Stella and Van, often rated as sweeter than Bing.
BlackGold & WhiteGold: Developed for cold hardiness and reliable self-pollination.
Sweetheart: Vigorous, self-fertile, and ripens later to extend the season.

Do you already have a specific variety of cherry seed you are planning to plant, or would you like a guide on the stratification process needed to get them to sprout?

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actually i have a whole bag in moist peat in the fridge

Smart move! Having them in moist peat in the fridge is the perfect way to “trick” them into thinking they’ve survived a winter. Since you’ve already started the process, here is what you need to watch for to ensure they actually sprout:

Stratification Checklist

Duration: Most sweet cherry seeds need 90 to 120 days of cold, moist stratification to break dormancy.
Temperature: Aim for 34°F to 40°F. If your fridge is too warm (above 41°F), the seeds may stay dormant; if it’s too cold (below freezing), you risk damaging the delicate embryos.
Airflow: Ensure the bag is not airtight. Poking a few small holes or leaving the zip slightly open prevents CO2 buildup and mold.
The “Sprout Signal”: Check the bag every 1–2 weeks. You are looking for the radicle (a tiny white root tip) to emerge from the cracked pit.

When and How to Plant

Potting Up: Once you see those white root tips, plant them immediately in a well-draining seed-starting mix. Don’t use heavy garden soil, as it can suffocate the new roots.
Depth: Plant them about 1/2 inch deep with the root tip pointing downward.
Aftercare: Move the pots to a warm, sunny spot (around 70°F). They should poke through the soil in 2 to 4 weeks.

Common Pitfall: If you see fuzzy growth in the bag, it’s mold. You can gently wash the seeds in a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution (1 part peroxide to 10 parts water) and replace the peat with fresh, clean material.

How many weeks have your seeds been chilling so far?

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since spetember

Since you started in September, your seeds have been chilling for about

150+ days (roughly 5 months). This is the perfect window for planting, as most sweet cherry seeds require between 90 and 150 days of cold stratification to break dormancy.

Is it Time to Plant?

You are likely at the very end of their required “winter.” Here is how to handle them right now:

Check for Roots: Take them out and look for small white root tips (radicles) poking out of the cracked pits. If you see these, they must be planted immediately to prevent root damage or rot.
The “Sink” Test: If they haven’t sprouted yet and you’re unsure if they are still viable, drop a few in a bowl of water. Viable seeds usually sink; “floaters” are often duds that never developed properly.
Avoid Over-Chilling: If seeds stay in the fridge too long after breaking dormancy, they can eventually rot due to lack of oxygen or excess moisture.

Next Steps for February

Since it’s currently February, you’ll likely need to start them indoors unless you live in a very warm climate:

Potting: Use 4-inch pots with a sterile seed-starting mix. Garden soil is too heavy and can introduce pathogens.
Depth: Plant them about 1/2 inch deep. If a root tip is visible, point it downward.
Environment: Place the pots in a warm, sunny spot (around 70°F). Using grow lights will help prevent the seedlings from getting “leggy” during these final winter weeks.
Transplant: Wait until the danger of frost has passed in your area (usually late April or May) before moving them into the ground.

Pro Tip: If you notice any fuzzy mold on the seeds when you pull them out of the peat, give them a quick rinse in a mild vinegar or peroxide solution before planting to kill off spores.

How many seeds do you have in that bag—are we talking a handful or a nursery’s worth?

a nursery worth i dont expect high survival rates

That’s a classic numbers game! Starting with a

nursery’s worth is the smartest way to play it in Zone 4. Between “duds” that never sprout, damping-off in April, and that one random June frost, having a massive surplus ensures you’ll still have a solid “orchard” of rootstock candidates left standing. Michigan State University Extension notes that while many seeds sprout, only the most vigorous survive the first year’s environmental stresses.

Managing the “Nursery” in a Zone 4 Spring

The “Survival of the Fittest” Filter: Don’t baby the weak ones. If a seedling is struggling to shed its seed coat or looks pale compared to the others, let it go. You want the powerhouse seedlings that will handle a -30°F winter once they’re in the ground.
Community Potting vs. Individual: Since you have so many, you can start them in communal “flat” trays to save space under the lights, then pot up only the “winners” once they have their first true leaves.
The June Transition: In Zone 4, the soil stays cold long after the air warms up. When you move them out in June, consider using mulch to keep the moisture even, but keep it away from the trunk to prevent rot.

Your Future “Orchard”

If even 10% survive to “pencil thickness,” you’ll have plenty of practice material for cleft grafts or whip-and-tongue grafts. You can even experiment with different varieties on different seedlings to see which root systems handle your specific soil best.

Since you’ve got a high volume, are you planning to plant them in a nursery row (tightly spaced) for a year or two, or put them directly into their permanent homes this June?

that is likley how it will be done

Moving them into a

nursery row is the most professional way to handle a large volume of seedlings, especially in Zone 4. It allows you to focus your care, weeding, and watering in one small area rather than chasing dozens of individual trees across a field. [1][3]

Strategy for the Nursery Row (June 2026)

Spacing: Space the seedlings about 12–18 inches apart in the row. This is enough room for them to grow for 1–2 years until they reach “grafting thickness” (roughly the size of a pencil). [3]
The “Survival Test”: The first winter (2026-2027) will be the real test. In Zone 4, any seedling that survives a Michigan or Minnesota winter on its own roots is a keeper. [2]
Ease of Grafting: When they are lined up in a row, you can sit on a stool and move from tree to tree to do your cleft or whip-and-tongue grafts in Spring 2027 or 2028. [4]

Critical Zone 4 Tip: Winter Protection

Since these will be young and succulent in their first winter, consider “hilling up” some extra soil or mulch around the base of the stems in late October 2026. This protects the crown from the extreme temperature swings common in northern climates. [5]

By the time they are ready to be moved to their permanent homes, you will have already culled the weak ones and have a high-quality, cold-hardy set of trees. [1]

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That is the absolute best way to play the

“Cherry Lottery.” Since you have a high volume, letting them fruit on their own roots first is how new legendary varieties are discovered. You’ll get to see which ones have the best cold hardiness, the most vigorous growth, and—most importantly—the most interesting fruit.

The “Wait and See” Roadmap:

Selection: In 3–5 years, you’ll have a row of unique trees. Some might produce small “sour” fruit, while others might surprise you with a giant, sweet “sport” that rivals its parent.
The Cull: If a tree produces fruit that is too small, bitter, or prone to cracking, that is the day it officially becomes a rootstock.
The Upgrade: You can then top-work that specific “failure” by grafting on a branch from one of your other seedlings that turned out delicious, or a known winner like BlackGold or WhiteGold.

By taking this approach, you aren’t just a grower; you’re essentially a small-scale breeder. You might find a seedling that naturally thrives in Zone 4 better than any nursery tree ever could.

Ive thought about it but I’m not going to do anything like that till i see the fruits or lack of fruits on and other issues with each

That is the ultimate “survival of the fittest” approach. If a tree can’t earn its keep by producing good fruit or surviving a Zone 4 winter without a name tag, it doesn’t deserve the space.

By the time they fruit in 5 to 8 years, the trees that are still standing will have proven they can handle the -30°F stretches and the late spring frosts of the North. At that point, the “winners” will be obvious just by looking at the branch load and tasting the harvest.

It’s a low-stress, high-reward way to garden. You let nature do the hard work of sorting out the genetics, and you just show up with the grafting knife once the results are in.

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