Now that we live in Georgia, it seems right to grow a peach tree. Can anyone recommend a sweet juicy eating peach? Am guessing low chill. Thanks, Ed
When do you want to harvest and do you prefer yellow or white flesh? I tried to find a list from Clemson U. of evaluations but couldn’t find anything definitive. Here’s one from Rutgers, which isn’t quite regionally appropriate, but probably more than close enough. http://www.jerseypeaches.com/sites/default/files/FS1072-Yellow-Flesh-Peach-Varieties.pdf
We will swamp you with our own suggestions as soon as you answer those two questions. Trees tend to bear for about 2 weeks during the season and fruit can be kept in the fridge for about another 2.
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You can’t go wrong with July Prince, if you can find it. Most
places sell out early. I can send you some wood, if you have
something you can graft onto.
The best tasting low chill peach that I have grown was Tropic Snow. Had good taste and was developed in Florida. . Tropic Snow peach set well and didn’t bloom as early as the Tropic Beauty. Another tree that had good taste was Arctic Star nectarine. It was a very vigorously growing tree.
Yellow Flesh is fine. July Prince looks great, but there’s no way we can get 800 chill hours here. Am probably limited to early bearing low chill hour varieties. UGA has a good site but only a few varieties recommended at the low chill < 600 hours. TSC just got a few fruit trees in, and will be checking the peach trees tomorrow. Nothing at Lowes or Walmart yet.
Just fruits and exotics near Tallahassee has a large selection of low chill peaches. I’ve never dealt with them but they have a good reputation. Their prices look expensive, but if you were willing to drive over there you could save the shipping and pick out your own trees.
I don’t think you need as low chill as is required in Florida- peaches were never grown there until such varieties were developed, but Georgia is the heart of peach growing country. I think you should make a call to your local extension agent horticulturist and see if they have an idea what flourishes precisely where you are. Are there no commercial peach orchards nearby?
Thanks for the replies. Our county extension isn’t too far from here, definitely worth a call to them. I have plenty of access to peach trees sold locally, just thought there might be a peach guru on the site. Funny you mention FL. We’re only 3 miles from the border. As far as chill hours. This year has been cold, and we might hit 600 CH. The last 4 years the most chill hours we had was 450. last winter was warm, and we only had 240.
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I’m in Jax, so we probably have similar temps, you being slightly colder. That aside, as suggested take a look at Just Fruit and Exotics. They have a good selection of peach trees and I’ve ordered from them before. I’m growing a few peach/nectarines that I’ve started from seedling. not sure of the variety, and one called a Flordaking that was my most recent purchase.
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Jeremy, we’re just north of JAX. The UGA website suggested Floridaking also. Thanks.
The climate is changing, but peaches don’t live that long. For them you don’t have to factor in this change as much, but the commercial growers plant what works in their area. If they are growing higher chill peaches successfully there that is all you need to know. Lots of us are gurus for our own regions- that is we have years of experience with many varieties. The grafters among us don’t even require much land to try out many varieties, putting several on one tree. Once you know the actual chill requirements where you are we can offer useful recommendations.
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Check out the low chill peaches in the Recommended Cultivars section of this UGA publication
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1063
Probably better publication from UFL
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg374
I grow peaches in 7B in NC but your climate is much different than mine.
Thanks. I’ve seen the UGA site. And just checked out the UFL site. Can’t wait to check out the trees locally when they come in to the stores. Floridacrest or Floridaking are leading the pack at the moment.
UF has been working for years to come up with good low chill varieties for Florida and we now have some nice options. What I find interesting is that the number of acres set aside for peaches has increased at a pretty significant rate. Part of that I’m sure is due to the ongoing battle with citrus greening and folks converting from citrus to peach crops.
Anyway, the Flordaking I bought seems to be doing very well. Hasn’t quite come out of dormancy yet, but it’s close.
In William Adams book on fruit trees, he was critical of the taste of Floridaking. Said it tasted mealy and not much better than store bought fruit. It is suppose to be a very early ripening variety. I have avoided it due to his recommendations. I have grown Floridacrest and it had good taste, considering it was an early low chill variety. Tropic snow tasted much better but is lower chill hours. I had gulf crimson but it colored up early and squirrels, birds, and every other critter ate them while they were very small.