Sour cherry seedlings — fruit tree nursery in Podkarpacie

Sour cherry trees from our nursery in Podkarpacie — budded on the farm, on rootstocks matched to your soil and to the purpose of the planting. We take our scions from our own scion orchard and our rootstocks from our own stool beds. We sell both retail and wholesale.

The sour cherry is far less demanding than the sweet cherry — it takes frost, poorer soils and cooler sites in its stride. It suits both a processing orchard and a home garden, where a single self-fertile tree is enough.

Sour cherry varieties available at the nursery

We grow varieties proven in the conditions of south-eastern Poland. The table below makes it easier to choose by ripening time and intended use.

Variety	Ripening time	Use	Pollination
Łutówka	July	processing — the classic for juices and liqueurs	self-fertile
Graniasta	July	processing, heavy cropper, suits mechanical harvest	self-fertile
Debreczyn	July	processing, very heavy cropper	self-fertile

Not sure which variety to choose? Give us a call — we will put together a set for your soil, your site and what you want the fruit for. For commercial plantings we also help arrange the ripening sequence so that harvesting is spread over time.

Sour cherry rootstocks — how to choose

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Rootstock	Vigour	Spacing	Suited to
Wild cherry (seedling)	medium vigour	5 × 3 m	fertile, moist soils, stronger growth and larger fruit
Mahaleb (Prunus mahaleb)	vigorous	5 × 4 m	light and dry soils, drought tolerant

We run our own scion orchard and rootstock stool beds — this is where the scions and rootstocks for our trees come from.

What we supply

We grow one-year-old trees with a feathered crown — maidens that have already put out side shoots in their first season. The crown is therefore started: there is no need to build it from scratch, and the tree comes into bearing earlier than an unfeathered whip. For commercial plantings this makes training to a chosen system easier.

We supply material bare-root — this is the standard in nursery production and the best way to get a tree to establish well.

When to plant a sour cherry

The sour cherry takes well to autumn planting, though it is better done early — October is ideal. In cold regions and in frost pockets, spring planting is the safer option.

The details — preparing the site and the planting hole, planting depth, winter protection and the most common mistakes — are covered in our guide to planting fruit trees in autumn.

Growing, pruning, feeding and protection through the whole season are covered separately in our guide to growing and caring for sour cherries.

Retail and wholesale

• Retail — personal collection at the farm in Dąbie, no minimum order. Advice on choosing varieties and rootstocks is included.
• Wholesale — for fruit growers, garden centres and nurseries. We prepare the material for an agreed date; quotations are individual, depending on quantity, varieties and rootstocks.
• Collection all year round — the farm is open and material can be collected at a convenient time. We only ask for a phone call in advance so that we can prepare the order.

We serve mainly Podkarpacie and Małopolska — the counties of Mielec, Tarnobrzeg, Dębica, Kolbuszowa and Ropczyce-Sędziszów, as well as the areas around Tarnów, Rzeszów and Sandomierz. For larger orders we arrange transport.

Why buy sour cherry seedlings from us

• Our own scion orchard and rootstock stool beds — the scions and rootstocks come from our farm, and we do the budding on site.
• True to variety — scion material from mother trees of confirmed identity.
• Trees acclimatised to our conditions — they grow in Podkarpacie, in the same climate in which they will fruit.
• Advice, not sales from a list — we match the variety and rootstock to the particular soil, site and purpose of the planting.
• Material from the farm, not from a wholesaler — we know which block the tree you collect was grown in.

Frequently asked questions about sour cherry seedlings

Do sour cherries need a pollinator?

All three varieties in our range — Łutówka, Graniasta and Debreczyn — are self-fertile, so a single tree in the garden will set fruit. A second variety nearby still increases the crop.

In which year will a sour cherry start to fruit?

On a wild cherry seedling the first fruit is usually picked in the 3rd–4th year, and on mahaleb in the 4th–5th year after planting.

What soil suits sour cherries best?

The sour cherry is tolerant — it will manage on lighter and drier soils, especially on mahaleb rootstock. What it will not take is waterlogged or very heavy ground. The optimum reaction is around pH 6.5–7.0.

How many sour cherries per hectare?

At 5 × 3 m spacing (wild cherry) that is about 660 trees per hectare, and at 5 × 4 m on mahaleb about 500.

Do you ship trees by courier?

Yes, shipping is possible. We dispatch bare-root material during the lifting season — in autumn and early spring; outside that season we do not lift trees. Personal collection at the farm is also possible. Cost and delivery date are agreed by phone.