Peaches present the paradox that they'll grow in almost any
part of the country, but can be grown well in very few.
Still, the smallest peach from your own tree will be
tastier than most store-bought ones, even though peaches
ship better than many fruits.
RELATED CONTENT
Laid-up masonry basement walls on concrete footers are sturdy, economical, and comparatively simple...
Almost every relatively green region on the U.S. and Canada boasts at least one native "medicine pl...
Food historian William Woys Weaver has been gardening since he was a boy. But finding his grandfath...
With shears, a pruning saw and common sense, you don't have to be a tree surgeon to improve the app...
John and April Adkins sprinkle grass seed for traction on icy patches; Cecil Monk places Plexiglas ...
The peach needs both cold (below 40°F.) and warmth.
Without a winter cold snap, the trees skip their dormant
period and become too exhausted to bear. On the other hand,
the early-flowering buds are very cold-sensitive. One frost
and you're wiped out. And without summer warmth the fruit
will not mature. Even so, the geographical range for
homegrown peaches is almost nationwide, so try a few trees
if at all possible.
STOCK
Since peach trees are so widespread but variable in
adaptation, it's important to get stock suitable for your
region. There are literally thousands of varieties, and
although there is none best suited for downtown San
Francisco or mid-Manhattan, there is a variety best for
your farm. The trees are for the most part
self-pollinating. But it's never a good idea to have less
than two or three trees of any given fruit.
You'll get your first peaches after three or four years . .
. the big yields will take another three. At that stage of
the game you can count on four bushels per healthy tree.
Spring planting is the best. A sandy or gravelly loam is
preferred. Use a northern slope to delay blossoming if
you're in an area of late frost.
PRUNING
Prepare to butcher your peach tree when you plant it.
Peaches don't take too well to transplanting, so you will
have to cut back the tops severely in order to encourage
root development. Trim the leader back almost a third of
the total plant height, making sure to cut just above a
branch. The new leader will emerge from the junction and
you don't want dead wood above it. Prune all the branches
back to one and two-inch stubs. The effect you want is a
spiked miniflagpole. From the stubs eliminate all but three
or four of the new buds that appear in the summertime. The
object of the game is to develop a tree with three or four
main branches rising together . . . in other words, a
treehouse tree rather than a climbing one.
