Sol, I grow sour cherries, and a lot of people told me I couldn't do that either. I say GROW 'EM!! Plus, it's my understanding that the birds pretty much leave the lighter colored cherries alone.

Raniers (like most cherries) need another variety as a pollinator. Bing is a good pollinator for Raniers and seem to attract the birds, who eat the Bings and leave the Raniers for you!

Raniers are "delicate", but that mostly refers to picking, shipping and storing, mostly done by hand. They are sensitve to wind and temperature, though, so I'd plant them in a protected place.

So, your garden is growing like crazy, is it? Congratulations!

Annie

Those cherries look amazing! Oh sure, I'd try growing them if I could (no chance here where I live). Sol, if your climate permits, give it a try. Cherries are so delicious, and the rewards of eating what you grow are, as you say, such a rush! Just ask Annie, who's "rushing" all the time:-) Good for you that everything you've planted is growing. I've got 2 or 3 straggling herbs and a cherry tomato plant I'm massaging along and THAT'S IT.

Go for it - you can do it.....you can do it.....
DONNA

OMG Sol, that photo is amazing. I don't know anything about growing cherries, but I say go for it too. Rainiers are the best cherries.

Ann

Who cares about the cherries?:)

The photo is a ten:)!

Those cherries are huge! You should see the little scuttlebug Rainiers we get down here. I buy them up as soon as I see them in the stores... at 7 dollars a lb. ;-) I don't seem to mind though...little or big just as long as they are Rainiers.

I say grow 'em Sol. If you are as good a gardener as a photographer you'll be covered in cherries.

Yum! I just love them. Your great photo inspired me to dig out the last few Rainer's in the fridge. Even a week old, they're great! I say go for it!
Is Thumper your model?

WOW

I am speechless! (Allright, no comments from any of you...)

If I had the sun, I would be putting in several cherry trees. LOVE them!

Not a gardener, my @$$. If you can get all those veggies to thrive in this drought, I've got a feeling you have inherited a green thumb from somewhere.

Linda

When my mom lived in MI. she had a very prolific cherry tree in her backyard. That tree was so majestic that its -bow-before-me- presence kept me from sneaking a few cuttings for myself. But, that was then, and now I'm ready to grow my own. So, with your tips and encouragement, I'm gonna do it.

AB, you say Rainiers need a pollinator, no problem. How about pesticides, do you use that stuff at all? How about a scarecrow to chase away them birds?
Don't be too quick to pull the trigger, because I have a few more questions ... but I can wait.

Donna, I have no clue why my little garden is doing well. All I do is water them several times a week, and I don't even fertilize them like I'm supposed to. The cherry tomatoes are my pride and joy though. This is how they looked last month, and here is how they look today. A little sparse because I've been eating them like candy. They're exceptionally sweet. Who knew I could grow anything other than weeds?

Ann, Rainier is my absolute favorite cherry. I'd rather go without chocolate just so I can splurge on them.
Ok, I didn't really mean that. Actually, it's more of a Sophie's Choice scenario, but you still might want to save the above information in a separate file, for posterity.

Merci mon ami, Monique. I really need to learn how to write "big smile" in French.

River, I pay just a little less for them around here, but they're in season for such a short amount of time that I can't pass them up.

Ellen, Thumper was the model who volunteered for this shot. He's easy to work with and his only demand is to get paid with Mint/Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. He was hired on the spot.

Linda, if I can do this, well, just take my word for it, you can too.

Thanks to my cheerleading squad for the support! And if I don't end up with a cherry tree within 6-7 years, we'll have to meet back here and have a talk.

Sol

Sol, I don't spray the cherries with anything at all and they never seem to have any pests or spots to speak of. The birds don't really seem to eat that many either, although the commercial orchards say about 1/3 goes to the birds. Mine is no where near that much, I don't think and I can't reach the ones on the top anyway. Since those seem to be where the birds like them best, I just share.

Nope, cherries are one of the most carefree things I grow, all I have to do is smell the cherry blossoms, watch them grow, and when they get ripe, pick them. Removing the pits is the biggest chore involved!

Darn fine model you have there, BTW. Mint chocolate chip you say? A guy after my own heart, or at least my own ice cream! It's Ashley's and Makayla's favorite too.

Annie

Dang fine cherry tomatoes you have there Sol! My little plant keeps putting 2 or 3 out, every couple of weeks. Not even enough for my little family of four. What part of the country do you live in?

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but I'm really curious (and envious). Would you start with a small tree from a nursery, or would you actually plant seeds to grow your cherry trees?
DONNA

Thank you Annie. I'm pretty relieved to know you don't use pesticides. And I'm particularly excited of your "carefree" adjective. Being a rookie gardener, carefree is about all I can handle at this time.

Going off on a tangent - put me in with the Mint/Choc. Chip ice cream group. My favorite ice cream used to be Grasshopper Pie, a Homemade brand. But, like all good things, it came to an end.
They now make a Mint/Chocolate Chip which isn't bad, but their Grasshopper Pie Ice Cream took no prisoners, it was -as Thumper would say- "sick." I think it means: good.

Donna, I'm sorry to hear about your cherry tomatoes. You know, I'm not sure which tomato plants the experts prefer, but we chose Sweet 100s, four plants in all, and all I can say is, they've lived up to their name. I'll be getting the same, next year.
I don't know where you're at, but if you live close, I'd be glad to share, since I'm the only one around here who worships tomatoes. Btw, I'm about 20 miles north of Michigan's state capital.

Oh, and wouldn't you know it (getting back to the subject of growing Rainiers), our local nursery had cherry trees earlier this year, but I was too afraid to commit ;-Ã Man, that pisses me off.
I think I'll give myself a time-out.

Have a good weekend guys!

Sol

Smart boy, that Thumper :)

That picture has me craving cherries, Sol!

We've done well with the Sweet 100's, too! My plants always look pretty sad, but we get the little tomatoes. Did well with sungolds, too!

Thank you Sol, for your offer to share. I wish we lived closer because I surely would take you up on that!! I live in coastal Central Florida, which is way too far from you (and Annie too!). I'm just not sure if tomatoes are meant to be grown so close to the ocean, perhaps the salt air and sandy soil, plus it's windy here ALL THE TIME, create a less than ideal environment for them to thrive. I started with a teeny plant, and I assumed it would be good for coastal gardening because they sold it here at a beachside nursery. Every couple of weeks I get 2-3 blossoms, but I don't have the clumps of beautiful fruit the way everyone else is getting. Oh well, I can't bear the thought of throwing it away, though it will at some point stop making fruit.

Carol, I swear I wouldn't care what the plant looked like, if it would make more than 2 tomatoes, once a month!!!
DONNA