Nanking Cherry in Zone 5a & 5b
Prunus tomentosa
Yes, nanking cherry grows in zones 5a and 5b and comes back each year. Set out nursery plants Apr 12–Apr 19.
When to plant nanking cherry in zone 5b
Zones 5a and 5b share the same average frost dates, so this page covers both.
Method: Buy as a start: Buy as a nursery start and transplant outside. It's slow or unreliable from seed, so most gardeners skip seed-starting it entirely.
| Start indoors | Not started from seed; buy as a nursery start |
|---|---|
| Direct sow / transplant outside | Apr 12–Apr 19 |
| Estimated harvest | First real harvest in year 4 |
Spacing: about 50 square feet per plant (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 8-12 ft.
Before you plant: Nanking cherry has a winter-hardiness note for zone 5b. See the details below.
Plant alongside it in zone 5b
These go outside within two weeks of nanking cherry in zone 5b, so one planting day can cover them.
- BlackberryApr 12–Apr 19
- BlueberryApr 12–Apr 19
- CurrantApr 12–Apr 19
- GooseberryApr 12–Apr 19
- RaspberryApr 12–Apr 19
- GrapeApr 19–Apr 26
Nanking cherry is an extremely cold- and heat-tolerant cherry relative, ornamental enough to double as an edible hedge or windbreak, with a profusion of white spring flowers that bloom before the leaves emerge.
How nanking cherry fits zone 5's season
Zone 5b's frost-free window runs about 148 days, from May 10 to October 5. Nanking cherry takes about 3 growing seasons to reach first worthwhile harvest, so what matters here is how many of these seasons it gets, not whether one is long enough.
Nanking cherry is hardy in zones 2-7, so in zone 5b it stays in the ground through winter and comes back rather than being replanted. Allow about 8 ft of spread at maturity.
Nanking Cherry planting windows in every zone
Zone 5b is highlighted. Useful for comparing against a neighbouring zone, or for a garden somewhere else.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2a & 2b | Buy as a start | Apr 22–Apr 29 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 3a & 3b | Buy as a start | May 2–May 9 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 4a & 4b | Buy as a start | Apr 17–Apr 24 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 5a & 5b (your zone) | Buy as a start | Apr 12–Apr 19 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 6a & 6b | Buy as a start | Mar 28–Apr 4 | First real harvest in year 4 |
| 7a & 7b | Buy as a start | Mar 13–Mar 20 | First real harvest in year 4 |
Zone 2 sows before zone 3 here, which looks wrong and is not. USDA zones rank winter cold, not season length, and zone 2 is mostly interior Alaska, where hard winters come with warm summers. More on what a zone measures.
Good companions
No well-established companions for nanking cherry.
Where to buy nanking cherry starts
Nanking cherry is almost always bought as a nursery start rather than seeded. Check a local nursery or garden center; we haven't vetted online start/plant suppliers yet.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a clear consensus of positive, independent reviews, or ones we bought and use ourselves. Each item on our gear page says which.
See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing nanking cherry" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
← Back to the full zone 5b calendar · Plan your beds in the Garden Designer →
Pin this for later
Growing Nanking Cherry in USDA zone 5b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.
Save to Pinterest