I began taking some of the Redhaven peaches in earnest on 8/4 (I picked 43) and felt like I was being pretty selective - not all of them felt even close to ready but that all changes pretty quickly.
On 8/6 I harvested an additional 55 (I’m keeping track as this is the first full crop I’ve had on the Redhaven) but again, even two days later there were a ton that were still rock hard.
On 8/7 I took 37 more.
Then today, I wake up to this:
There’s 17 peaches on the ground with damage ranging from a little to a lot.
It is VERY aromatic around the tree right about now, and I felt like if I wait for the remaining fruit to ripen a couple more days I could have a disaster on my hands so…
I picked the remaining 368 peaches even though there were many that were pretty hard (kinda like the grocery store ones)
The total on the tree was 503, then there were 17 drop/damaged peaches.
Anyway, I reasoned that they could finish ripening up inside and I’d not have to lose sleep tonight over how badly they would be ravaged tomorrow.
Pretty sure they’ll not be AS sweet as if I’d have been able to let them stay awhile longer.
Last year we only had 13 or so if I recall that made it, and I took all them on the last day of July. Here we are on the 8th of August and I bet half of the 368 I took today could have stayed on the tree a few more days.
Oddly, a buddy who lives under a mile away as the crow flies that I’d planted a RH for three years ago, had a nice crop of about 125 peaches on his young tree and they were run-down-your-chin-juicy on 7/24.
Anyway, so frustrated that after seeing how successful the electric fence was at keeping out the deer from my BIL’s sweetcorn — I’m even pondering the idea putting up electric fencing next year, and then moving it from one tree to the next as they ripen in succession
Maybe I should have spent more time on the baffle thing Alan talks about…
Hoping I didn’t make a huge blunder taking the rest a little early.