Peach State . . . Really!?

These are among the first ripe peaches I grew on my peach trees. This was the second peach tree I planted. Plant and seed wholesalers started sending me their catalogs before I started a garden, and these catalogs started piling up in my house. As a self-proclaimed grower, living in the Peach State, peaches stood out as a “go to” fruit for the orchard section of my new garden. Colorful peaches look so enticing in the grocery store and I love the taste of fresh ripe peaches.

I was a busy college professor at the time so with catalogue “in hand” it was less work for me to place a catalog order on-line than to drive to a local nursey to buy an expensive fruit tree. At that time, fruit trees were selling for about thirty dollars in the store and about twenty dollars in the catalog so “price” became my first consideration. This approach was a mistake.  (Even though prices are through the roof now that the plant growing craze has taken over).

It was not a good idea to order a low-price peach tree and plant it, since anyone who wants to grow peaches needs to do their research, first. Peach growing is a complex matter.  Variety selection is critical and pest control issues need to be paramount. Peaches have fixed climate requirements. If you don’t have enough cold days in your area your peach tree will not produce fruit. And peaches are vulnerable to a large list of pest and disease pressures here in Georgia. This means that commercial peach growers are required to undertake a rigorous fertilization program with four rounds of regular, thorough spraying each season.  

Peaches are also heavy feeders, which require one high-quality fertilization in the spring and one in the fall.  And you need to have a healthy population of pollinators in your area. Peach trees are self-pollinating, but they still need pollinators to move their pollen from the male flower stamen to the female flower pistil.  The wind can aid but that’s not enough. Pollinators are needed and even though self-pollination can produce fruit, cross-pollination with another peach tree helps to increase the yield. All of this means that growing peaches requires a great deal of attention and that peaches for sale in the grocery stores have most likely been exposed to a host of harsh chemicals. And, selecting the right peach variety for your area is a must. My “budget” peach tree would start producing peaches and while the peaches were still green and small the peaches would fall off.

 I ended up with a large peach tree close to my house that doesn’t produce fruit. It was probably the wrong variety for my area and I don’t even know which variety it is. I chopped it down after about six years of frustrated peach growing. Variety selection is a primary concern and when you’re growing peaches it’s best to source the right variety from a reputable seller (Apiary Gardens, 2024).