Are Cherries in Season in December?

Cherry season in Australia is from October to February but the peak supply is between November and January. Between October and December the cherry season peaks in NSW and SA while from December until the end of the season February most fruit comes from Victoria and Tasmania.

Availability of Cherries in Australia by Month

When is Cherry Season in Australia?

Cherry is a summer fruit and is in season from late spring until late summer. Earlise and Merchant are popular early season varieties, while Stella, King and Van are popular from mid season onwards. Lapins and Sweetheart cherry varieties are the last available in January and February.

Generally speaking there are two types of cherry seasons in Australia, a sweet cherry season and sour cherry season. Sweet cherry season produces most of the varieties we prefer to eat as fresh produce, while sour cherry season produces the varieties that we use for food processing and preserving.

Most commercial cherry orchards start with grafted trees. The first few years may not yield fruit but they are the most important in the long term profitability of a cherry orchard. The first full cherry season may take three to four years from planting.

Availability of Cherries in Australia by Season

Where do Cherries Come From in Australia?

Native varieties of cherries can be traced across much of central Europe, Asia and northern Africa. Most commercial varieties now grown in Australia were developed in North America or Europe.

There are some Australian varieties like Dame Roma cherry and Sir Tom cherry that have been developed in Australia and thrive as late season varieties.

Cherry season in Australia is evenly distributed across four states with up to 97% of production coming from VIC (28%), NSW (28%), TAS (25%) and SA (16%). Generally speaking early season cherries come from north of Canberra and late season cherries are grown south of Canberra in Victoria and Tasmania.

Cherries are popular out of season and Australia may import more than 10% of the annual consumption of cherries. If you buy cherries in Australia between March and September they are likely to be imported.