Some of our field areas, such as Sibdu village of Khotang in this photo, are suitable for Cherry Tree cultivation because of their altitude and climate.
We have introduced cherry plants from Everything Organic Nursery(EVON) in Sibdu as trial in the beginning of 2014. Farmer Chyaba Sherpa fenced his entire cherry plant as a protective measure against grazing cattle. In the background is the monastery of the village.
We are amazed by how fast the cherry plants have been growing.
Within a span of about 5 months, these plants have grown from about a foot to at least 6 foot tall. Chyaba stands besides one of his plants to give us some perspective. Chyaba tells us that his whole family including wife and children water the plant on a regular basis, pull out the weeds and take extreme care. The immense love shown by the family seems to be one reason the plants have taken so well, because normally they do not grow to this huge size in the very first year.
These plants should be giving fruits by second or third year of transplantation. We are as excited as the farmers to see how these cherries will do in the coming years.
Update as of July 2018:
As of July 2018, the cherries have not been successful in Sibdu even though the plant itself is doing well and has grown to an impressive height. Although they started flowering in 2017, three years after they were planted, they were unable to produce fruit both this year and last year.
We are as disheartened as Chyaba to see that cherries might not be a successful endeavor for our working area. But despair not!
There have been other crops that have proven more successful than cherry – kiwi, snow pea, broccoli are just a few examples.
