Iāve NEVER sprayed or used chemical fertilizers on my fruit trees. I have an issue with scale on citrus, aphids on my cherry trees, and rust spots on my pear trees, as well as raccoons, skunks & rodents, but Iāve been using alternative methods. Some plc on my peach/nectarines, but fortunately the fruits are still doing well enough for me that I donāt feel its necessary to spray chemicals on the fruits my kids will be eating. Added an electric fence this year to help protect my ripening peaches and nectarines. Also spread some cayenne pepper around strategically to hopefully deter the night raiding varmints.
Taste test this weekend. Contender easily finished ahead of Glowing Star, an unknown variety from a roadside stand (possibly in the Flaminā Fury family), and Finger Lakes Super Hardy.
Thatās good to know, thanks Fruitnut. A nearby area produces the best peaches in the country. Also grapes. I think it is a bit dryer, but Iām still in the ballpark. This and that whole area are incredibly humid and hot all summer long. Iām trying to visit a commercial operation to ask some questions. Iām not sure how open they will be about giving information out considering itās their business though.
Phill, sounds great, but peaches are considered very difficult to grow at home here.
I am looking around for other fruits that I actually like to eat. Itās been difficult to test what does well though as my conditions are far from laboratory.
As noted above, I got Early Crawford wood from Olpea and would be happy to send you some this winter. If you prefer a full tree, you can get it from the Arboreum:
Keep in mind that they donāt stock all the varieties each year, so you may need to keep an eye on them for a few years to get both.
Iāve independently verified thisā¦
Even after freezing a few gallon ziplocks of White River, I still had a lot left. So, I cut up almost 5 pounds of them, pulled the skins off (most of which came without a problem, even without blaching) and made some jam.
I used the same ratio of sugar as with the Loring recipe (~50% by weight. 77 oz peach, 38 oz sugar). I compared the Loring Jam vs the White River jam on yogurt and there is no contest. The WR jam isnāt bad, but there isnāt all that much flavor to it, while the Loring Jam is pretty good. Itās very different from Black Currant jam, which is much sharper. But, if Iām in the mood for a sweet and milder yet still flavorful jam, I can see myself using the Loring.
I need to find someone else with different tastes to give the White River to. Either that, or use it as a sweetener for smoothies, as the flavor probably isnāt strong enough to change the overall taste.
Waiting for Madison peaches to ripen. Iāve picked a few that were pretty good, about 12-13 brix but we have some dry weather so I might wait until they start dropping.
This is off a big box store āWhite Princessā I bought to graft onto. I kept two branches each with a peach on. This is the second and the one that looked best but the first that I ate was superb. I wish I had a brix meter. The 1st one was as sweet as syrup.
This second one was lacking the same syrup sweetness. About 1/2 as sweet.
Good to know Dax, my Son-In-Law bought a couple of these at Walmart and they seem to be doing well, though too young to fruit. Iād never heard of them before he brought them home. Very tasty looking though
Thanks for the info. Somehow I skipped over that post in the chain. I have looked at the Arboreum before, but the peaches Iāve been interested in were never available. I will have to be more attentive and persistent.
@alan - Just like you said, my PF 24 C are huge. The first one dropped today. It looked perfect. It tasted quite bland, unfortunately. I did not even bother to check its brix.
Itās complete different from my PF24. It is sweet with tart and acid. I like it a lot with the complex flavor. I consider my white lady bland. As this is my first year to get peaches I hope it gets better later.
I have eaten this variety for several years now. This was the first time it was not goid. We have had so much rain this summer. The fruit have sized up larger than normal (it is not a small peach to begin with). We had a break of no rain for about 10 days. Otherwise, it has rained quite often including last night. I am not surprised it tasted bland. Fortunately, it is not the norm.
Congrats, they look very nice. How do they taste, compared to previous years? Werenāt you also growing Redhaven or Reliance? Are those done for the year? If so, howād they turn out?
Hope you read my topic about peaches in other orchards I manage being quite good. Usually the way I manage my peaches works very well, but this year the rain made my trees just too vigorous. Next time it is this wet and trees are growing too vigorously even while holding a full crop Iām attacking the roots, even though it is risky- hard to know how much to do.
Alan I think it would take cutting major roots to affect the trees water balance. Thatās done some with a big chisel and powerful tractor but mainly to control tree size.
Even in Texas the best peaches, highest brix, are grown on deep sandy loam soils in areas with 30 inches rain per yr. In Texas 30 inches is considered semi arid. Deep clay loam soils in river bottoms are considered too strong for peaches. The trees grow too much. Those soils are better for pecan a tree that benefits from 50-60 inches of water around here.
I think your soil must supply too much water. Not just from the mulch but in the top 6ft. Is there a water table in the top 6-8ft?
I believe you are mistaken and underestimate the consequences of generous mulching in the humid region where it breaks down quickly. Cornell did an experiment with wood mulch on apple trees a few years back and by the eighth year the trees started showing excessive vegetative vigor. How much this was the result of water holding capacity and how much the colonization of N fixing bacteria is not known. Here, the soil gets too cool to be optimum below 18" and the warmer and better aerated top 12 is where most of the action is.
My problem is not new to me and I believe it gradually became greater over the years of mulching. On dry seasons it can be a blessing.
A lot of very absorptive roots form under the mulch in the humus layer, so we shall see. I donāt know if my idea will work and wonāt until Iāve tried.
