- 1). Collect the seeds from a mature chokecherry bush in August. This species is hermaphrodite, so all plants produce seeds. Place the seeds in a plastic bag and store them in a refrigerator for two to three months.
- 2). Fill a seed tray with gardening soil and sow the chokecherry seeds on the surface of the soil without covering the seeds. Keep the soil moist and place the seed tray in a cold frame until they sprout, which may require up to 1 1/2 years.
- 3). Fill small planting pots with gardening soil. Remove the chokecherry seedlings from the seed tray when they are tall enough to handle, generally about 6 inches. Plant a seedling in each pot at the same soil level as they were in the seed tray. Place the pots back in the cold frame and keep the soil moist.
- 4). Select a permanent planting site in full sun or partial shade for the chokecherry. This plant can tolerate a range of soil types, although it prefers loam. Chokecherries require soil with good drainage. Water the chokecherry plants with 1 to 2 inches of water per week until they go dormant in the late fall.
- 5). Harvest the ripe chokecherry berries by hand from mid-July to September in the morning. Freeze the chokeberries immediately after harvest if you don't plan to process them within two days.
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