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A Complete Guide to Growing Delicious Peaches at Home
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Planting
Where to Plant Peaches
For the best fruit production, peach trees should be planted in an area that receives full sun all day long. The morning sun is especially crucial because it helps to dry morning dew off the fruit and keeps it from rotting. Be sure to avoid planting in low areas, too, as cold air and frost can more easily settle there and affect the quality of your peaches.
Choose a site with well-draining, moderately fertile soil. Peach trees won’t do well in areas where the soil is compacted or remains constantly wet. Soil pH should be on the slightly-acidic side, between 6 and 6.5.
When to Plant Peach Trees
- Peach trees should be planted while they are dormant—typically in late winter or early spring (depending on climate).
- In regions where the ground freezes during winter, hold off on planting until the soil has thawed and the ground is no longer waterlogged from snowmelt or heavy spring rains.
- It’s best to plant the trees the same day that you get them (if possible) to reduce stress on the seedling or sapling. Potted trees can tolerate not being planted for a little while, but bare-root trees should be planted as soon as possible.
- Select a tree that is about 1 year old and has a healthy root system. Older trees tend not to be as productive or vigorous overall.
How to Plant Peach Trees
- 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.
- 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 clean shears to cut through the offending roots. (Keep root pruning to a minimum, overall.)
- For grafted trees, position the inside of the curve of the graft union away from the sun when planting.
- Tip: Especially for dwarf or semi-dwarf grafted trees, the graft union must be 2 to 3 inches above the soil surface. If it’s any lower, the grafted tree (called the scion) may start to put out its own roots and grow into a standard-size tree.
- Do not fertilize at the time of planting.
- If you are planting standard-size trees, space them 15 to 20 feet apart. Space dwarf trees 10 to 12 feet apart.
- Most types of peach trees are self-fertile, so planting one tree is all that’s needed for fruit production.
Check out our video to learn more about how to plant a bare–rooted fruit tree.
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 structure), directly under the eaves. 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 tent. This keeps the tree dry in winter, and the tree enjoys the warmth of the sun—directly and 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.
Types
- ‘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:
| Zone | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Variety | Hale | Madison | Saturn | Contender | Frost | Topaz | Florida Beauty |
Harvesting
- 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.
- Tip: Peaches ripen faster in a closed paper bag at room temperature.
How to Store Peaches
- You can store peaches in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. They should keep for about 5 days.
- You can also make use of fresh peaches by making peach jam or peach butter.
- Peaches can also be canned or frozen for storage.
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Last year an animal stripped my peach tree bare in one night. The peaches were still rock hard. Should I expect this yearly? From reading I need to keep the peaches on the tree until they are ripe. I have a have-a-heart trap I could set. Any other suggestions?
Oh, my, where do we start with peach trees and pests? MANY love peaches, as do we. You need to be more specific: Which varmint? There are many tactics from predator urine to pruning to baffles to trapping. Pick peaches when 75% of the green ground color has become yellowish. Don't pick when immature--yuck. Let them get as ripe as possible as they don't store well off the tree but pick right away to avoid more pests. Biting into a peach is also a good way to know when it's ripe.
We have a peach tree in our backyard that is so full of fruit is bent over and has some parts of the fruit laying on the ground. is that what you mean by thinning is taking off the fruit and cutting the branches...we just moved in.
Yes, you need to thin to avoid tree problems, get good fruit., and develop buds for next year. Normally, you want to thin before it gets to this stage. Next year, thin in spring when the fruit is just 1 inch in diameter (no earlier) and 3 to 5 inches apart on the branch. This will remove a lot of the fruit but it is how it's done! At this point, since the fruit is so heavy, we would space no less than 6 to 8 inches apart. Remove all the largest fruits and all damaged fruits.
I have a peach tree in my yard. I am renting the place and do not know what was done in prior years. It has borne fruit in previous years (according to my neighbor). It is almost July and the fruit has seemed to hit a deadlock in their growth. I've primed the tree and the fruit. They get watered daily. I live in Arizona so I have to water them early. Even my Apple tree seems to be struggling. What am I doing wrong?
Has your area experienced a fluctuation in temperature (for example, hot then cold then hot) that may have confused and delayed the fruiting of your peach and apple trees? Was there a late spring frost? Too much fertilizer (especially nitrogen) can also delay fruiting, encouraging leaf growth instead. For fruit trees, keep up with proper pruning to maintain productivity. Check for signs of disease or insects.
Hi I planted a peach tree about a year and half ago and this year it is in full bloom. Lots of peaches already on our tree(not ripe yet). I am moving though in a month to a new house and would love to take my tree with me. Is that even possible? Will it transplant well or regrow?
Thanks,
H
Unfortunately, summer is one of the worst times to transplant a tree, due to the tree's seasonal cycle and the summer's heat. The plant is now putting its energy into flowering and developing fruit, and may not have enough to recover from transplant shock. It won't have as many roots as it did at its original site to help with life processes. Some people have had success, however--especially if the trees are young. If all goes well, trees may take several years to recover from transplant shock, although young trees will take less time.
If you want to take the risk, we'd recommend that you consult a local nursery or landscape company; they could recommend the proper method (such as the proper size root ball for your plant, or whether your plant is small enough to be transplanted bare-root), and might (for a fee) even be able to dig the plant up and properly ball-and-burlap the roots so that it will have the best chance of survival. It's best to have the largest root ball possible, to help the plant recover from transplant shock; keep in mind that root balls are usually very heavy and need to be disturbed as little as possible; to avoid injury to yourself or the tree, you might want to hire a professional to perform this task. A general rule of thumb is for every inch of tree diameter, provide at least 12 inches in diameter of root ball and 6 inches of depth. In summer, even larger would be good.
Read up online as to how to properly dig the tree, transport it (keep the root ball moist), choose a good new site, prepare the new hole, and introduce your tree to its new home. Make sure that it has plenty of water (but good drainage), while it is adjusting to its new environment. (Root pruning before transplanting helps trees to recover after transplanting, but this should be done a year ahead, or at least 3 to 6 months in advance, so it wouldn't help in your case.)
If this is a long-distance move, keep in mind that it is best for the tree not to have it carried by a professional moving company (if you are hiring one to transport your furniture) due to the conditions on the truck (such as heat); in fact, many companies do not allow plants in their moving vans.
Good luck!
We moved to Rice,Tx ...so of Dallas 6 yrs. ago & there was a mature peach tree on our lot. It always blooms, gets small immature frruit on it. Then the fruit turn black and eventually dry out. What's wrong with this tree? We are yet to enjoy one peach! Its about 20 ft. Tall & my husband did prune it one yr. To no avail! Thankyou!
Nothing good comes easy . . . Peaches, like most plants, require a certain amount of care. (Would that they just produced!) As noted above, they need nitrogen (some sources also say potassium). Check your soil and amend as necessary. Fertilize in spring. Treat with zinc annually. Also, make sure your peach tree gets lots of sun and air circulation. As much as these plants love water, excessive dampness (even fog!) can lead to bacteria and so black spot. Air and sun, with proper pruning will help to enable them to dry out. If you can't employ these tactics this year, plan to next year.
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