growing peaches and nectarines

Growing peaches and nectarines are the same in all their cultivation demands, although peaches are somewhat hardier and more reliable in cooler areas. Both the peach and nectarine initiated in warmer climates and so they require a sunny, sheltered spot. Peaches and nectarines are self-fertile plants, so only one plant need to be grown if you have limited space. It takes about four years before they will fruit, but can live for 30 years once they have been established.

It is best practice when growing peaches and nectarines from stock that they have been bought from specialist nurseries. They are usually planted during their dormant phase in winter. They both require very fertile, deep, well-drained loam, with a pH of 6.5-7.0 and full sun is essential if the bushes are to prosper. When feeding the plants before they have reached the age of bearing fruit, it should be done in the spring with a general purpose fertilizer like fish, blood and bone to promote growth. After they start to bear fruit, mulch annually with well-rotted farmyard manure. The flowers need to be protected from frost in the early part of the year with a horticultural fleece drape, and make sure that it is removed during the day to allow access for pollinating insects. You must never allow the plants to become drought stressed once the fruit has set, especially when the plants are growing against a sunny wall.

You do not need to do a lot of pruning with a peach bush tree, and like other stone fruit you never prune in the winter due to the risk of infection from silver leaf and bacterial canker. It is best to prune freestanding trees in the early spring, and you do this by removing dead or diseased wood, that are crossing over each other which can cause damage by rubbing on each other. Fan trained bushes need to be pruned every year, and are pruned by a renewal method in a similar way that is used for fan trained cherries.

The fruit should be allowed to fully ripen before harvesting, and you can tell when it is ripe when it comes away from the tree easily. Store for a few days once they have been picked and preserve for later use as freezing destroys much of the fruits texture. Peaches and nectarines are prone to the same ailments. Diseases like peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker and mildew are common,and although pests are an occasional problem, the more severe ones are red spider mites and aphids.

Some varieties of peaches are the Peregrine which is a large, round, crimson fruit with a excellent flavour It ripens in late summer and grows well in open warmer areas. The Amsden June peach produces fruit with a good flavour and ripens in mid summer. It can be grown under glass or in the open. Some varieties of nectarines are the Early Rivers a large yellow fruit that has a rich flavour and ripens in mid-summer. Another type the Lord Napier has large yellow and orange colored fruits and also have a rich flavour, and these ripen in late summer.