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How to Grow Peaches: The Complete Guide to Peach Trees

Juicy peaches hanging on a branch in the orchard
Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Prunus persica
Plant Type
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Flower Color
Pink
White
Hardiness Zone
4
5
6
7
8
9

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Peaches

Catherine Boeckmann
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Juicy peaches picked at their peak are pure perfection! From planting peach trees and spring pinching to summer pruning and fall harvesting, here is how to grow peaches!

About Peaches

The trick to growing peaches is to choose a type that will fit your climate. Peach trees can be grown in USDA Zones 4 to 10, but do especially well in Zones 6 to 8 (learn more about plant hardiness zones). If you live in one of these latter zones, you can focus on choosing a variety based on its flavor and harvest time. If you live in colder regions, some varieties are more cold-tolerant, which you should choose instead.

Read Next

Planting

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-drained, 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.
Peaches on peach tree
Homegrown, juicy peaches are within your reach!

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.

Growing

  • About 4 to 6 weeks after the tree blooms, thin the fruit so that they are 6 to 8 inches apart on the branch. If too much fruit is left on the tree, it is likely to be smaller and subpar. Thinning the fruit ensures that the tree will focus energy on the remaining fruit.
  • Prune and fertilize to encourage 10 to 18 inches of new growth during spring and summer.

Fertilizing

  • About 6 weeks after planting, fertilize young trees with a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer.
    • Tip: Apply fertilizer in a circle around the tree, but keep it at least 18 inches away from the trunk. This encourages the roots to spread outward, rather than in on themselves. 
  • During the second year, add 3/4 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer once in the spring and once in the early summer.
  • After the third year, add about 1 pound of nitrogen fertilizer 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 while the fruit is maturing. Fertilizer should only be applied between spring and mid-summer.

Pinching Peach Trees in Spring

In the spring (often April), pinch your off the tips of new branches so the tree will make side branches and be shaped nicely, and your fruit will be within reach. Otherwise, the branches will keep growing long and straight without side branching. 

For pinching, you can easily use your fingers to snap off tips by hand. Just pinch off the tip of a new branch just above a bud. Choose buds a distance of 1 to 2 feet from where the branch begins from a larger branch. Then your tree will grow out buds just below the pinched bud to make side branches.

Pruning Peach Trees in Summer

Pruning in the summer can NOT be avoided. If left unpruned, peach trees weaken, may become diseased, and bear less fruit year after year. Peaches bloom and bear fruit on second-year wood; therefore, the trees need to make good growth each spring and summer for lots of fruit!

The goal is to keep peach trees small, no more than six to ten feet tall. In general, you will be 1) cutting out any branches at the top from getting too high so the fruit is reachable and 2) cutting outside branches so that enough light is getting to lower branches for flower and fruit development.

You want a globe or 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 so the tree doesn’t grow too tall. Then, remove some branches from the center. Look for three wide-angled branches, spaced equally apart, then 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.

You may need to prune a couple of times a summer. The first time you prune is when the tree has put on about two feet of new branches. This can happen as early as May, or it may not even happen at all (in which case you don’t need to prune, or it may harm the tree because some shade from leaves is important to avoid sun scald).

NOTE: Summer pruning is NOT the time for any dramatic cutting. This is done in late winter when the tree is dormant. 

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:
Zone 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Variety Hale Madison Saturn Contender Frost TopazFlorida 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.
Peaches in bowl
These look ready for your favorite Peach Cobbler recipe!

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.
Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Wit and Wisdom

  • “An apple is an excellent thing – until you have tried a peach.” — George du Maurier
  • Although peaches are native to the Chinese countryside, the peach was brought to the Western world through Iran.
  • 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.
  • Peach blossoms are the state flower of Delaware.

Recipes

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler
Peach-Glazed Chicken
Peach or Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream
Peach Jam
Easy Peach Strudel with Phyllo Dough
Peach-Raspberry Crunch
Fruit
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Joni (not verified)

7 years 6 months ago

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

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/hgic1354.html

 

 

Linda Colonel (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

What makes some peaches pethy? They may look beautiful but when cut there is no juice and is very yucky in texture and taste.

Hubert Bruce (not verified)

7 years 10 months ago

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.

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. 

Hildegard Wykoff (not verified)

7 years 10 months ago

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.

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.

Pat padovano (not verified)

7 years 10 months ago

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?

Samwel Mwihomeke (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

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 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.