A very beautiful heirloom apple that stores well.
BlackGold® Cherry on Mahaleb (Spring 2026)
You are viewing a tree that will ship in Spring 2026. You can also find trees for Spring 2025.
A self-fertile, late-blooming, black sweet cherry. Also known as Black Gold, Ridgewood Cherry, NY 13791.
Black Gold is a reliable, high-yielding, late-blooming cherry that will avoid crop loss due to frost. It is self-fertile and can be planted alone in a home garden or in solid blocks in an orchard. It will also work as a universal pollenizer for any mid or late-blooming sweet cherry. It is cold hardy up to zone 4; a BlackGold® planted in the Twin Cities by Purvis Nursery has taken -30°F with no tip damage. This tree shows considerable resistance to bacterial canker, but its crack tolerance is only moderate. Growers can expect fruit within four years.
The glossy, heart-shaped fruit matures early to mid-season. It is deep red, almost black, firm, and juicy.
BlackGold® is a cross between Stark Gold and Stella, developed by Cornell University in 1996 and released around 2000. This selection was chosen specifically for its late bloom time.
Photo courtesy of Whiffletree Nursery, Ontario, CA.
The Fruit
Fruit Type
Category: Cherry
Subcategory:
Crack-Resistant, Sweet, Self-Fertile, Cold-Hardy
Fruit Uses & Storage
Uses: fresh eating, jam, baking, canning, freezing, jelly
Storage duration: less than one month (approximate, depending on storage conditions)
Fruit Appearance
Skin color: red
Flesh color: red
Fruit Origins
Parentage: Stark Gold X Stella
Origin: NYSEAS, Geneva, NY
Introduced in: 1996
Introduced by: Dr. Bob Andersen, Cornell University
The Environment
Calendar & Geography
USDA zones: 4 - 8
Chill hours: 800
Ripening date: Jun 27 (approximate, in New York State) + 7 days after Bing
Tree Height & Spacing
glossary
Rootstock: Mahaleb Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (60% of Standard)
Tree spacing: See details
Good for wildlife planting? N
Diseases & Pests
glossary
Bacterial Canker of Stone Fruit: Resistant
Pollination
Pollination Factors
glossary
Bloom group:
Is it self-fertile? Y
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class:
Half-Standard (60% of Standard)
Pollination Partners
Sweet cherries are not part of our search tool given various complexities. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.
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