Hello all,
I am a new hobby grower with about 3 acres and I am wanting your opinion on the best variety of peach to grow in zone 6b Ohio. I love peaches and am always disappointed by the mealy texture of store bought.
Are there any easier consistent varieties with great flavor and smooth texture that you recommend? I’m particularly looking for very juicy soft varieties (Georgia peaches have my heart).
I am already growing apples and cherries so I’m not totally new to the fruit tree world.
Any and all opinions and tips are welcome!
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Contender and Redhaven are long-time favorites for northern growers.
Olpea is a trusted, experienced peach grower on this site who lives in a very similar climate to yours, and has frequently posted thorough reviews of different varieties.:
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From research on other threads I’m looking at Clayton, Winblo, Veteran, Contender, and Rising Star. I would love any insights on texture, I prefer a more creamy peach than a firm crisp one. Thank you for pointing me towards Olpea’s threads!
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Good advice so far. In 6b winter hardiness shouldn’t be too big an issue, most varieties should be ok. As with anywhere outside CA spring freezes can be an issue.
Those varieties you list are all good.
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Any of the varieties that Olpea has singled out as good will be awesome compared to store peaches. Store peaches can be truly horrible even if the variety is decent, they are picked too early and not grown for taste.
I personally like Clayton and Winblo a lot, and Red Baron (amazing blooms) and Kaweah (a late ripening peach) are other great tasting peaches to consider.
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I am in SW Ohio and my growing zone in 6b as well. I have Contender and Redhaven peaches growing in my orchard. I also have a Flaming Fury peach as well, 35-007. All three are really good peaches here. The reason the store bought peaches tastes dry and mealy is , like was mentioned, picked way too early and put in a cooler for keeping.
I like the production of the Contender. The Flaming Fury is a younger tree but the peaches taste really good. I liked the FF best of all the last time I had all three peaches to taste.
The trouble in in my area when the peaches are blooming a lot of times years we get some sort of frost/freeze, or cold spell so it kills most or all the blossoms. They years I do get peaches, like last year, they taste great. Better than any store bough peaches. I had a bumper crop of peaches last year.
( I think NC peaches taste better than Georgia peaches, btw, lol)
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Another vote for Red Baron. Also if you can manage it… O’Henry is an amazing peach. My neighbors tree was pruned way too hard so his hasnt produced… mine died. However last year i had some ‘amish’ O’Henrys from Ohio that were splendid.
I really enjoyed my Arctic Glo (nectarine) this year also and will say its worth growing for sure.
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Ohio 6a here and Contender and Madison have both been reliable producers. Madison does not get too soft but does get good sized. Contender will get as juicy and soft as you want to leave them on the tree
Also have a young Redhaven and Reliance that have not yet produced
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The weird thing about frost/freeze damange to blossoms (for any fruit) is how unpredictable it can be.
Using apricots as an example, I’ve had full crops one year after a 24 degree freeze in full bloom, but lost my entire crop the following year and it only got to 27/28. There are multiple factors involved in freeze damage, including how quickly the cold hit, how long it’s below critical temps, how fast it warms up, even soil moisture, wind, etc.
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Red Haven here is southern Indiana. Very good producer with great flavor
There is a lot of worry and focus on late late frosts. More often it is a sudden drop after a warm spell in late December/January. A few years back, we had a long stretch in December where is was 40-50 F and wet. In 24 hrs, it dropped to -3 F for several days. Killed all the blooms.
Late frosts will thin the tree. I recall a 24F night can kill 90% of your bloom, I normally thin 90%! Might be patchy, but you can still have a lot of fruit.
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Were in NE Kentucky in zone 6b. We have Redhaven, Coralstar, Contender and Blushingstar, planted 7-8 years ago, they are quite large trees now.
We had below zero temps here in January, but a somewhat normal warm-up during the spring. But that super cold spell must’ve fried my peach fruit buds because all 4 of my large peach trees had very few blooms this year. My apples and pears bloomed quite prolifically, and most survived a couple April freezes, but squirrels thinned them for me, alongs with crows and deer. Thinned them really good…
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Excellent points. I agree with you. Hit and miss and I always scratch my head as to why this and that happens. Some years they have full crops. Other years fruit on the interior of the tree or on one side of the tree. So many variables I can’t figure it out. I just get what I get when I get it. I’ve stopped trying to figure out why. I just leave it to Mother Nature and she will let me know how much fruit and what types of fruit to give me each year. " No peaches this year" she said for 2025.
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