Bing Cherry

Prunus avium 'Bing'

fruit

Bing is the classic dark sweet cherry, producing large, firm, deep-mahogany fruit with rich, sweet flavor, the benchmark variety for fresh eating. The vigorous trees bear in early summer but need a long winter chill and a compatible second sweet cherry for pollination, since Bing cannot set fruit with its own pollen.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Chives and other alliums — Scent helps deter aphids around the trunk
• Clover groundcover — Fixes nitrogen and supports pollinators
• Nasturtium — Trap crop for aphids
• Marigold — Draws hoverflies and helps suppress nematodes

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Birds →

  Drape netting over the tree as the fruit colors up

• Cherry fruit fly →

  Hang traps to time controls and remove fallen and mummified fruit

• Brown rot →

  Prune for airflow, remove mummies, and avoid overhead watering

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick sweet cherries fully ripe, when they have colored to deep mahogany and taste sweet, since they do not ripen further off the tree, harvesting with the stems on to keep them fresh longer. A rain just before harvest can split the ripe fruit, so pick promptly once the cherries are ready.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Sweet cherries are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and they are rich in anthocyanins, the antioxidant pigments behind their dark color that are studied for fighting inflammation.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the flesh, not the pit. The kernel inside the pit contains amygdalin, a cyanide-releasing compound - discard the pits and never eat or crush the seeds inside.