Yellow Gold sweet cherries ripening on the branch

Gold Sweet Cherry (Spring 2027)

$64.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

Bloom group 6 of 7 (Late)

See trees that will pollenize it Sweet Cherry Pollination Map

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Gold Sweet Cherry is a cherry tree rated hardy to zone 3b in our ratings (winters to -35°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 6 of 7, late for a sweet cherry).

Hardy to	Zone 3b to 8. The b means the warmer half of zone 3 only (winters to -35°F). Our notes have it taking -38°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 6 of 7 (late), mid spring here. Gold is not self-fertile, so plant a second sweet cherry that blooms late. Black Gold lines up best with it, and White Gold overlaps the front of its bloom. Good partners we carry: Black Gold Sweet Cherry, White Gold Sweet Cherry. Sweet Cherry Pollination Map.
Rootstock and size	G12: semi-dwarf, about 10 to 15 ft tall unpruned. Gisela 12, bears very young. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Pollenizing other trees (7/10), fresh eating (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 5-7 ft. Regular Grade or 5-7 ft. Larger & More Branching. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Gold Cherry is one of our most reliable and productive cherry varieties. According to Bob Purvis, it is considered the hardiest of all sweet cherry cultivars, withstanding temperatures as low as -38°F in River Falls, WI. This variety is also an excellent pollenizer, making it a great companion for most other sweet cherry trees.

Cold Hardiness and Survival

Gold Cherry and Lapins were the only sweet cherry varieties that survived our extreme -10°F fall temperature several years ago. This variety is easily one of the best performers in colder climates, as it can handle severe winter conditions better than most.

Fruit Characteristics and Ease of Growth

The fruit of Gold Cherry is firm, golden-yellow in color, and is known for its disease resistance and resistance to cracking. The yellow fruit is less attractive to birds, who tend to prefer red cherries, making Gold Cherry easier to protect and grow.

With a hint of tang, Gold Cherry offers the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. It’s a great choice for first-time cherry growers and anyone looking to grow cherries in colder climates.

Pollination and Yield

Although Gold Cherry is self-fertile, it may yield better if you cross-pollinate it with another variety. Lapins is a good choice for this, as we believe it to be the second-hardest sweet cherry variety we have grown, alongside Gold.

Rootstock, Spacing, and Cold Tolerance

These trees are grafted onto semi-standard Gisela 12, which is about as hardy as Gold will survive down to. We're unsure whether G12 can survive temperatures below -40°F. However, even if it can, its hardiness would ultimately be limited by Gold itself, which is only known to have survived down to -38°F, making the distinction moot. As for spacing, this entirely depends on the goals of the grower. If one is attempting a higher density system with more production per unit area, then 6-10 ft (or less if trellised). However, for most backyard growers, 15-18 ft. should be just fine.

Hardiness

Gold Cherry is hardy to USDA Zone 3b or Zone 3a in protected sites.

Questions we get about Gold Sweet Cherry

Does Gold Sweet Cherry need a pollenizer?

Yes. Gold Sweet Cherry needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Gold is not self-fertile, so plant a second sweet cherry that blooms late. Black Gold lines up best with it, and White Gold overlaps the front of its bloom. Partners we carry include Black Gold Sweet Cherry, White Gold Sweet Cherry.

How cold hardy is Gold Sweet Cherry?

We rate Gold Sweet Cherry hardy to zone 3b, which means winters down to about -35°F. Our notes have it taking -38°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How big does Gold Sweet Cherry get?

We graft Gold Sweet Cherry onto G12 (semi-dwarf), which makes a tree roughly 10 to 15 ft tall if you never prune it.

What is Gold Sweet Cherry good for?

Our top use scores for Gold Sweet Cherry are pollenizing other trees (7/10), fresh eating (6/10).

Will deer eat Gold Sweet Cherry?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Gold Sweet Cherry with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does Gold Sweet Cherry ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 5-7 ft. Regular Grade or 5-7 ft. Larger & More Branching. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Gold Sweet Cherry

Gold Sweet Cherry needs a different sweet cherry nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 6 of 7 (Late)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Good pollenizer

2 trees we carry will pollenize it. 2 in stock now.