How to Grow Peaches

It’s important to choose the best peach tree for your climate. Most peach trees thrive in areas with hot summers and cold winters. They require time in cold temperatures to grow effectively. Make sure you choose a tree that will have the right amount of chilling hours in your climate. This is known as their chill hour requirement.

• Carolina Bell trees produce large creamy white peaches. They ripen from July to August.
• Dwarf peach trees are ideal for areas with limited space. They only grow up to six feet tall. They produce peaches that are bright orange in color.
• Redhaven trees produce peaches in mid June to early July. They have red and yellow skin and are ideal for canning.
• Santa Barbara trees only require 300 hours of chilling. They produce orange-yellow fruit that ripens in mid-summer.

Plant your peach tree by following these simple steps:

• Find a planting site with full sun exposure and wind protection.
• Use a shovel to dig a hole that is a few inches deeper and twice as wide as the tree root ball.
• Put a tree stake two feet into the ground next to the hole.
• Create a soil mound at the bottom of the hole.
• Place the tree into the hole and fill the hole halfway with soil.
• Soak the hole with water and allow it to drain.
• Fill the rest of the hole with soil.

Tip: Plant your tree in late winter or early spring. This allows them to have a full growing period.

Caring for peach tree is easy when following these steps:

• Make sure your tree is getting full sun. They will be prone to disease and pests when grown in the shade.
• Your tree needs good drainage. Make sure the soil is on the sandy side and slightly acidic. Use organic mulch to keep soil healthy.
• Make sure you are watering your tree regularly and keeping it evenly moist.
• Apply a balanced fertilizer around your tree every spring. Start with one pound for new trees and add a pound each year, up to 10 pounds.

It’s important to prune your peach tree to keep it healthy. Pruning ensures fruit bearing branches get enough light. It’s best to prune peach trees in the dormant period of early spring. However, you can remove light-blocking branches at any time throughout the year.

Use pruning shears to remove dead, diseased or damaged branches. Then find your main fruit-bearing branches and remove any light-blocking pieces around them. Your finished tree should have a herringbone pattern with an open center.

Peach trees will start to produce fruit two to four years after they’re planted. They will first develop pink blooms. These blooms will then turn into tiny green fruit. Natural fruit drop will happen at this stage. This means that the tree will drop immature fruit. To keep the plant healthy, remove all but the biggest fruits from the tree. Leave six inches in between peaches.

Most peach trees will be ready for picking in late June through August. Determine when fruit is ready for picking by looking at its color. Ripe peaches will no longer have any green undertones. They will also be slightly less firm and have a sweet smell.

Tip: If you’re still not sure if your fruits are ripe, take a bite. If it is crunchy and bitter, leave the rest of the fruits on the tree to ripen longer.