Looking for peach recommendations for zone 4.
Here’s where my research led me.
Blushingstar
Contender
Flamin’ Fury
Intrepid
Raritan Rose
Reliance
on Lovell RS
Any variety or rootstock I missed for zone 4?
Thanks for replying.
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I’m in zone 4 and growing Veteran. It’s survived a year so far, no peaches yet.
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When I first got into growing fruit trees over a decade ago, growing peaches in zone 6a was about the limit. Zone 5 would be challenging.
Now, you guys are talking about growing peaches in zone 4!!!
I am sure many (peach) trees can survive zone 4. I am curious to find out from you guys how their flower buds would survive your winter.
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Would be curious to hear if you are successful. Peaches are my favorite fruit and just so special to pick off the tree. I hope you can do it!
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thats the choke point, for sure. its not clear to me that the trees themselves vary considerably in hardiness, but they most definitely dont fruit if the winter is much below -15. around here, they fruit maybe 1 out of 3 years on average.
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You might be on to something.
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i tried contender here. died completely in a mild winter. 
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Siberian C.
Iowa White.
Seedlings. Most seedlings will be hardier than grafts.
My vote would be to try a Reliance … and plant the seedlings and go from there. Most likely you will get hardy seedlings.
Here is Z4 Canada…
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I am trialing 5 trees from Cummins, all on seedling rootstock: Carolina Gold, China Pearl, Contender, Intrepid and Redhaven. The Intrepid never leafed out, but the rootstock is growing. Planted spring of 2023. Growth has been good, I thinned them once this summer. It’ll be a while before I can draw any conclusions. I’m in a Z4a in the Adirondacks.
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Technically I’m in zone 5a, but I’ve had -30 a few winters. I finally got about 50 ripe peaches from my Contender. They were amazing. Even if it doesn’t produce every year it is still woth it.
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Raritan Rose sucked as a tree ripened roadside peach. I had 25 trees. Every place that touched the next peach in a box got a bruised spot. Just too soft at the same stage I was picking my yellow peaches. It didn’t help either when my picking crew was heavy handed.
Blushingstar was fine and its the only white I still grow for sale or for my personal enjoyment. They make great dehydrated slices.
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been trying to get the Siberian but its always out of stock. the reliance is up on the hill at just under 400ft elevation. its somewhat protected by trees to the west and north. a 5ft berm to the east as well as a line of tress yet still gets about 9-10 hrs. of direct sunlight. hopefully it does well there. its about as protected as i could find for it.
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That is a bummer. We have hard winters here and it survived. Great peaches, when I get some from it. Mine is about 10 years old and may be at the end of its production cycle.
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I try to get trees that will take a zone colder than we are " technically" rated at because we get lower temps many times during the winters. We also get the -30 temps at times. I would rather have a colder rated variety than keep replacing trees over and over again.
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Yeah same (well sometimes 
). My point was that it has survived zone 4 temps. At least the wood, not the blooms.
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Zone 3b here, last winter our 2 8 year old Bailey peach trees winterkilled. No idea why, were wrapped in burlap and small squares stacked against base like always. I fully expected to at least see a couple flowers this spring, instead dug them out.
Also have the Siberian C peaches but we’re probably 3 yrs away from knowing if we’ve gained/learned anything or just learn we’ve wasted our time and money.
Best of luck, won’t know unless you try.
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I’m in 3b/4a. 90 days frost free average. I have 2 big box store peaches in the ground approximately 5 years. I get some die back sometimes. I get a couple fruits each year. But the fruits are small, and they just simply taste bad. Perhaps the flavor can’t develop here enough. They survive though.
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True, if it survives the winter temps at least you may have a chance at having blooms. If the tree doesn’t survive you have wasted a year or so of getting the chance of having any fruit.
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Madison is another peach to try. I’ve read its blooms are somewhat resistant to late frosts and is zone 4 hardy.
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I concur with the Reliance and Madison as the ones I have heard do well in cold climates.
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