Several volunteer peach trees have appeared in my garden over the past few years, and I decided to grow three of them in pots. Each spring they get up-potted. They spend spring, summer, and fall under the south-facing eaves of my house in order to protect them from rain, and where they get a nice amount of summer sun. They spend the winter months in my unheated workshop.
This year all three produced fruit, so I found out that two of them seem to be nectarines. Only the peach tree was able to produce mature fruit, and I harvested almost a dozen peaches in September. They were small, but the flavor and texture were outstanding. They were the best peaches that I've tasted in years. This summer was warmer than usual, but I hope that the success continues next year, including with the nectarines.
Nice deal! I have been doing the Taoist peach growing for years. Peach jazz? My wife cans peaches, so when she does, we throw the pits in the compost, and it eventually get distributed through the yard. I don't buy the trees, and I only sort of prune them. Last year was the best year in many, we got several delicious peaches, although the squirrels got some. I usually put fruit sox around them for the last few days, but squirrels will still bite through them. They are super tasty!
John S
PDX OR
I've given up on peach trees here. Too much rain. Always get beautiful 2-3 year old trees that suffer that sudden tree death syndrome.
John S, do you plant your volunteer peaches or keep them in pots? How long do the trees tend to live before they succumb to disease? Last question - have you ever gotten nectarines?
As long as they do well in pots, they seem to be worth growing, even if they don't produce fruit every year.
I don't want to bother with pots. I get the peaches infrequently. Since the peaches grow on new wood, I occasionally chop the tree down, to get more 1st year growth. I have gotten nectarine trees. I got one nectarine once. Not reallly a good harvest. These trees get so many problems from disease to animals eating the fruit that I don't obsess over them. I get some peaches some years.
JOhn S
PDX OR