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Growing Peaches
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Peaches
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Peaches
Mmmm … peaches picked at their peak are perfection! Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest peaches at the right time! Plus, we have some delicious peach recipes to try with your bounty!
To grow peaches, the trick to choose a type that will fit with your specific climate. Peach trees can grow in USDA Zones 5 to 8, but do especially well in Zones 6 and 7. If you live in one of these zones, you can focus on choosing a variety based on its flavor and harvest-time. If you live in colder regions, there are some varieties that are more cold tolerant that you can choose.
Planting
- Before planting peaches, choose a site with well-drained, moderately fertile soil in full sun. Be sure to avoid low areas because frost can more easily settle there and destroy your peaches.
- Plant the trees in spring. It is best to plant the trees the day you get them (if possible). Pick a tree that is about 1 year old.
- For container-grown trees, remove the plant from its pot and remove any circling roots by laying the root ball on its side and using shears to cut through the roots.
- For grafted trees, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the sun when planting.
- Dig a hole that is a few inches deeper and wider than the spread of the roots. Set the tree on top of a small mound of soil in the middle of the hole. Be sure to spread the roots away from the trunk without excessively bending them.
- If you are planting standard-size trees, space them 15 to 20 feet apart. Space dwarf trees 10 to 12 feet apart. However, most types of peach trees are self-fertile, so planting one tree at a time is fine.
An Alternative Planting Method
If your circumstances are suitable, you might want to try a technique practiced in England. It involves planting a peach tree—ideally a dwarf variety—on the south side of the home or other building, under the eaves of the it. Over time, the gardener prunes and trains the peach tree to espalier in a fan-shape against or very near to the wall of the house. Plastic sheeting is attached to the eaves and draped to cover but not touch the tree, similar to a lean-to. This keeps the tree dry in winter, and the tree enjoys the warms of the sun, directly and as reflected off the house, year round. The plastic should be opened or lifted during bloom time to welcome pollinating insects and on hot, sunny days to ventilate the tree and prevent foliage burn.
Care
Thin the fruits so that they are 6 to 8 inches apart on the branch after the tree blooms (about 4 to 6 weeks). This ensures that the fruits will be larger.
Prune and fertilize to accomplish 10 to 18 inches of new growth each season.
Fertilizing
- About 6 weeks after planting, fertilize the young trees with 1 pound of a nitrogen fertilizer.
- During the second year, add ¾ pound of nitrogen fertilizer once in the spring and once in the early summer.
- After the third year, add about 1 pound of actual nitrogen per year to the mature trees in the spring.
- To help make the tree hardier, do not fertilize it within 2 months of the first fall frost date or when the fruits are maturing.
Pruning Peach Trees
Peach pruning should NOT to avoided. If left unpruned, peach trees weaken, get diseased, and bear less fruit every year. Peaches bloom and bear fruit on second-year wood; therefore, the trees need to make good growth each spring and summer to insure a crop for the next year. Each winter, a large number of red 18- to 24-inch shoots need to be present as fruiting wood. If the trees are not pruned annually, the fruiting shoots move higher and higher, becoming out of reach. Alternate-year pruning results in excessive growth the year following heavy pruning, so annual, moderate pruning is essential for the long-term control of tree vigor and fruiting wood.
- Be sure to prune the tree to an open center shape. In the summer of the first year, cut the vigorous shoots that form on the top of the tree by two or three buds. After about a month, check the tree.
- As soon as you have three wide-angled branches, spaced equally apart, cut back any other branches so that these three are the main branches. In the early summer of the second year, cut back the branches in the middle of the tree to short stubs and prune any shoots developing below the three main branches. After the third year, remove any shoots in the center of the tree to keep its shape.
- Be sure to prune the tree annually to encourage production. Pruning is usually done mid to late April. Pinching the trees in the summer is also helpful.
Pests/Diseases
- Borers
- Aphids
- Japanese beetles
- Leaf hoppers
- Brown rot
- Powdery mildew
- Leaf curl
- Mosaic viruses
Harvest/Storage
Peaches are harvested when they are fully ripe from late June through July and August.
With peaches, it’s especially important to harvest at the RIGHT time.
Though this timing depends on what type of peach variety, you can generally go by the color of the fruit. When peaches are fully ripe, the ground color of the fruit changes from green to completely yellow. No green should be left on the fruit. They should come off the tree with only a slight twist. The fruits found on the top and outside of the tree usually ripen first.
Be careful when picking your peaches because some varieties bruise very easily.
Peach Storage
- You can store peaches in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. They should keep for about 5 days.
- You can also store peaches by making jam or by making pickled peaches.
- Peaches can also be canned or kept frozen for storage.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Redhaven’, which is the standard and most popular choice. These peaches are medium-size, but can be small if the tree is not properly thinned. Its skin is tough and firm and red in color.
- ‘Reliance’, which is a hardy variety. It produces small and soft fruits.
- ‘Harmony’ (‘Canadian Harmony’), which is winter hardy and moderately resistant to bacterial leaf spot. It produces medium to large fruit and freezes well.
- Some zone favorites are:
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Hale | Madison | Saturn | Contender | Frost | Topaz | Florida Beauty |
Wit & Wisdom
Although peaches are native to the Chinese countryside, the peach was brought to the western world from Iran.
Peaches ripen faster in a closed paper bag at room temperature.
Test buds of peaches and other sensitive fruits for freeze damage. Bring in a few twigs cut from the trees and place them in a vase of water. If the twigs bloom in a week or two, expect blossoms in the spring and a crop the following fall.
Recipes
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Reader Comments
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Thinning Peaches in Zone 7B
It is now April in my zone 7B. My red-haven Peaches started to produce fruit . my question is which month do i thin them?
When to plant peach trees in zone 7b
Hello
I live in Charlotte, NC and it is zone 7b here. The article mentioned that peach trees should be planted in the spring. Since we have a milder climate, I have heard that fall is the best time. What is your recommendation for this zone?
Thank you!
Peach tree growing
You have written in your article that it is a spring season suitable for planting. But after reading your article I am curious to plant peach trees. Can not I put the grafted tree in this season, or I will have to wait till the spring season..
Planting Peach Trees
Yes, you can plant a potted peach tree during summer or fall, too. However, you should not plant during the hottest part of summer, as this will cause too much stress on the tree. If you live in a mild climate, mid- to late August will likely be a good time to plant.
Peach tree
I live in downstate NY. I have a very healthy 14-foot donut peach tree. it produces hundreds of peaches. I net a few branches to fend off the squirrels, but the ones left never seem to get to maturity. Do you think my area is too cold? Do I need to water more?
donut peaches
Downstate NY, such as around NYC or Long Island, is in Zones 6 and 7. Other southern regions of NY state, such as in the Binghamton area, are more in Zone 5. The donut peach has been bred to grow as far north as Zone 5, but sometimes has difficulty in the coldest zone. But Zones 6 and warmer should be OK. Make sure that the peach tree is receiving full sun. Ideally, peaches like moist, well-drained, sandy loam. Check for diseases such as peach leaf curl. You can ripen peaches that have already been picked by placing them in a paper bag on a counter, and storing them for a few days at room temperature (putting them in the refrigerator will stop ripening). Hope this helps!
planting
I'm going to plant a peach tree. I was told you need to plant at least two so they pollinate. Is this true?
Peach tree pollination
Peach trees, unlike apple and pear and plum trees, do not require a pollinator. They are self-pollinating. That said, most expert still recommend planting another variety in your yard for optimum fruit production. Make sure you ask a tree nursery which types of peach trees pollinate each other.
And remember that climate is the most important factor. Make sure that the tree is recommended for your hardiness zone. Peach trees tend to grow best in zones 5 to 8, but there are also cold-hardy types for the cooler climates in parts of the north (Zone 4) and heat-tolerant varieties for the warmer climates in parts of the south and west (Zone 9).
Tree dropping leaves
We have a peach tree in a large container, really it's a garden pool. We planted a dwarf type because we intended to keep it on our fenced patio. I keep it watered and fertilized using your guide. But...it is dropping it's leaves, only a few at the time but consistently. The leave turn yellow and drop. Is this normal? Our winter was cold for this area but the tree did not get burned and started out really well. This is its second spring.
Peach problems
Most container plants need protection in winter—indoors, even if it’s a garage. Roots (on anything) in a container have greater exposure than those in the ground. And size is container size is relative; usually a 5-gallon container is minimum recommended, but a 15- to 20-gallon container is better.
Your local cooperative extension may be able to give you better/more specific advice re the local weather, your container, and the variety of peach. Find your state and then the service here: https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services
Leaf dropping and how to seep squirrels off of the tree.
Our leaves started turning yellow and dropping in the last couple of weeks. The tree is planted in the ground, and is four years old. Also, last year, the squirrels ate all but two peaches. Is there a way to keep them off of the tree?
watering peach trees and squirrels
For yellow leaves that are falling off, this indicates you need more water applied each time you water.
If the soil is covered with a 3 to 4-inch layer of mulch on the surface, then you should be able to squeeze two to three days between irrigations, provided enough water is applied.
Make sure the applied water is wetting the soil 18 to 24 inches deep. Use a metal rod, rebar or long screwdriver to judge the depth of the watering. Push it into the soil after watering and see when it is hard to push any more.
Peach trees that are 7 feet tall and 7 feet wide should receive about 90 gallons of water each week. This can be applied with drip irrigation or a level basin built around the tree about 6 feet in diameter and 4 inches deep.
It is virtually impossible to keep squirrels out of fruit trees because of their superb climbing and jumping ability. You can protect the crop by netting it. While squirrels can readily gnaw through the plastic netting, they may not persist if enough alternative food is easily available. Another idea is to leave one tree un-netted and sacrifice it to the squirrels who will avoid the other trees.
pethy/mealy/dry peaches
my peach tree always produces great crops. Fruit is good sized, color is beautiful but no matter when I harvest the fruit all the peaches are pethy/mealy. The texture is horrible, They are dry and the taste is horrible. What can I do to correct this situation? Or would it be best to just cut it down. I have no idea what kind it is except it was supposed to be a dwarf, self pollinating variety. It must be about 8 years old. Any suggestions? I live in Portland, OR and there are peach orchards all around me.
Peach Problems
We would recommend consulting your local Cooperative Extension service, who should know more about local conditions that may be causing subpar fruit. Here’s a link to the Oregon State University Extension Service, and another to the national directory.
Cold weather and fruit trees
I live in Saint Louis, Mo. I submitted a question before about the same topic and it was answered so this is more or less a followup question. The winter of 2016-2017 was too mild to produce fruit for either my apple or peach tree. Beginning around christmas of 2017 the temperature plunged into sub-zero wind chill factors for well over eleven days. I am to understand that a fruit tree needs a good freeze to produce fruit. Is it safe to assume that in the summer of 2018 I will be eating fruit off of both trees due to the winter deep freeze we are currently experiencing? Please tell me what you think. And also my apple tree is three years old but has yet to produce fruit. Is there something that I am doing wrong by only watering it? My peach tree is the same age but is producing fruit. Thanks.
which parts to prune
I have a volunteer peach tree in Nova Scotia, no idea what variety. We are getting along fine. I prune vigorously the upward shoots to keep the height to where I can harvest from a stepladder. I am wondering, will twigs that bore peaches possibly bear them again or should they be considered goners at pruning time?
peach pruning
Peaches are produced on one-year-old wood (branches) that grew in the previous season. So branches that bore fruit will not bear again.
Young Peach tree from pit !
I left a peach pit (from a peach stand in South Carolina) in the freezer all winter, took it out early spring and gently got the seed from it and planted it in a small,then medium then large now extra large planting pot !
My question is when is the best time to plant it in the yard (I live around Myrtle beach SC area)
& when can I prune some branches and which ones to cut , as you guessed I'm a newbie at this! HELP! It is September almost October and we still have 80 to 90 degree days left , a few leaves have dropped off, I believe because it's getting cooler at night , Thank you in advance
when to plant a peach
Kudos to you! Peach trees will shed their leaves (go dormant) in winter; the best time to plant in your area is from early December to mid March. You want to give the plant time to set roots before spring. Your local cooperative extension service has a lot of info on growing peaches, and may be available for direct questions. See here: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/tree_fruits_nuts...
PEACHES
What makes some peaches pethy? They may look beautiful but when cut there is no juice and is very yucky in texture and taste.
unusually warm winter
Hello everyone. I live in Saint Louis, Mo. I planted a peach tree two years ago. Last year I got seven small peaches from it. We had a normal winter last year as well (2015-2016). This year (2016-2017) it was unusually warm. The entire winter I think we had a total of three weeks at best where the temperature went below twenty degrees. Thats fourteen days out of the entire winter that I am talking about here. Will this warm winter effect my peach tree? I water my tree every other day as well as my apple tree and noticed that the leaves are not shriveling up like they were before I started watering them. Am I hurting the trees by watering them that much? Please advise. This is my first house and my first stab at planting anything. Thanks.
Watering Peach Trees
Hi Hubert,
If the leaves on your peach tree are not shriveling up anymore, that is a good thing. It’s hard to say if the warm winter will affect your peach tree. It’s true that most fruit trees need a set chilling period of dormancy, but the warmer winters that are occurring have not been happening long enough for anything more than guesswork. As for watering, your peach tree needs around 30 to 40 gallons of water a day during July and August, though combine that with rainfall and the amount you have been giving is probably close to what it needs. Continue with what you are doing.
Peachtree fruit problems
Hi, we live in Visalia, California, near Fresno. We have two peachtrees,about 7 years old. We prune them in Jan. or Feb.Fertilize with tripple 16 and spray them with a sulfer/copper oil, when buds begin and fungacide when pests are visible. We had beautiful fruit 2 or 3 years ago, but nothing good since. This year they bloomed very nice and set on enough, where I did not have to cull them The peaches grew to a little bigger than golfball size, and now are falling off. I can't see anything wrong with the falling peaches. What can I do ? Please help.
why are peaches dropping?
There are a number of reasons why this might be happening; scientists do not know for certain.
Here are a few theories:
• cultural/environmental factors that effect pollination, flower fertilization and fruit set.
• foliage damaged by diseases (scab, for example) and/or insects (stink bug or curculio have been suggested)
• fruit drop can be heavier on young, vigorous trees
• rainfall, esp after a dry period can cause fruit drop
• some scientists think competition for water and nutrients causes fruit drop (are they getting enough?)
You might want to contact your local cooperative extension service (find it here: http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services ). These folks are quite knowledgeable and may have experience with this or know someone who has…and can provide more insight.
Peach tree
We planted a peach tree last year and so far successful . Blossomed beautify and full. We then aHad a very large number is small peaches sine of a ping pong ball . Watched them for about a WEEK OR SO AND WAS READY TO THIN THEM......... No more peaches not one on the ground. I'm guessing the squirrels had a feast. Should I have placed a net over the tree?
Peach Tree Fruit Problems
Peach trees experience something called “June drop,” which is when they naturally thin our their fruits and drop most of the weakest ones in late spring or early summer. However, if your peach tree dropped all of its fruit, it could be due to a weak pollinating season, lack of water or nutrients, a late frost, or some sort of pest or disease. Or, like you said, it could have been squirrels and birds! It’s hard to know for sure. Next year, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to place netting over the tree once fruits start developing.
Need seeds for peaches
Dear Partner
I have gone through your journals regarding on how to plant peaches..
Real its amazing, I'm leaving in Tanzania Southern Highlands zone where we have natural planting of peaches ,however the community is not harvesting for commercial just using for domestic and family use..
Now I and my community in Bulongwa Village we have decided to advance farming and transform agriculture in peaches fruits from local to more technological approach.. Not only to build our welfare but also to commercialize into industrialization .
With email ,we need your advice and partnership in growing peaches for large scale .
Regards
Samwel
Peach Tree
I may have made a mistake on the tree age, 5-6' at planting 10+ years ago. Tree now 20' (dwarf Alberta). Suspect typical West Texas red Clay-y soil was level and covered with 6-8" of top soil. Tree did have a black substance develop last year from first branches to crown (3'), treated with antifungal. Also had sap balls at first branches. Both conditions are now gone. Fertilized with tree and shrub (?ratio) at drip line last year and lawn is treated 3 times a year with southwest formulation (added iron and sulfur). Neighbor tree gets no fertilizers and no water except rainfall and has more greener, abundant leaves and more blooms. There is a concrete ring around the tree containing lava rock (away from crown 6-8"s) and 4-5"s deep. The peach tree that produced was in a different area. When I say tree produced earlier it had good blooming but freeze prevented fruit development. Will test soil if you still think it is necessary. I have Bradford pears in front yard which have a problem with pale green leaves also. The older had abundant blooms but the smaller (newer) is very slow growing. Both have been treated with foliage and drip line iron last year, no improvement. Thank you for your advice.
Peach Tree
I have a 6-7 year old Alberta Peach that has started to drop its leaves. The leaves are not as green as I think they should be and then turn yellow and fall. They have no black spots and no curling. This started last year. I sprayed twice with a disease spray. There was a ring developed around the tree about 18 inches from the trunk due to the lawn care taker edging. I have filled this with new soil and made sure the water can drain away from the trunk. The soil is an 8" layer of top soil over a very clayie West Texas soil. When I purchased the house 16 years ago there was a peach tree that produced very well. There was top soil added after this tree was planted leaving a well around it (previous owners). Since I watered the lawn for better grass growth it caused the tree to die from the water standing around it. The new tree I planted has the crown above the soil level. It produced a couple of years after I planted it. However, freezes have taken the last two years. This year it had a few blooms and I noticed a couple of small peaches. The tree next door has much thicker and greener leaves and no care, was even topped a couple years ago. Can you help me with the leaf drop. I know the freeze in February was before budding so shouldn't have been a problem. Thank you for any help.
Peachy Problems
Hi, Darrel: Thank you for such an extensive description of your situation! It sounds like you have a handle on the watering situation, which is not to. Even though your new tree is high in the ground, it is still basically sitting on a pan of clay, which will keep water around. But to us the key here is “it produced [for] a couple of years.” If you don’t have/can’t see any disease/pests and if there is not too much water, then this tells us that your soil may have become deficient, particularly in nitrogen and/or potassium. So get a soil test kit from your local home or garden supply store or your USDA county extension and test both at the base of the tree and about 4 feet out. If necessary, amend the soil slowly and carefully to bring it to what your peach needs (do online research on this). If your soil is OK, then it is still a water issue and deeper drainage solutions may be necessary. Remember that while unlikely, it is possible that the top of your clay-y subsoil layer is not horizontal. You could actually be watering a surface that is even with or sloping away from the tree, but at the same time the clay layer underneath could be sloping toward the tree. Complicated, but the key thing is that it did well once, so let’s hope that it’s the soil. Thanks for asking and good luck!
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