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Fruit of the month

Peaches

Fruit of the Month

Home-grown peaches are delicious, but not the easiest of crops to grow in the garden or plot for three reasons. The first is that although the plants are reasonably hardy, the flowers open early and are easily damaged by frost, which can often destroy the entire crop. Also because they flower early there are not many pollinating insects around and flowers usually need to be pollinated by hand to ensure fruit.
The final problem is with the disease peach leaf curl. This is a common ailment and affects peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds, rarely killing the tree but weakening it and reducing yield.

Happily however a disease resistant variety is now available called ‘Avalon Pride’ which may help to combat at least one of the problems (a covering of polythene during the spring can reduce the damage on other varieties) and since the fruit is such a delight, it is well worth the effort to protect the very pretty flowers from the cold and to go around occasionally with a soft brush to pollinate them.
Peaches lend themselves quite well to growing in pots and this means that they can be moved about as necessary – into shelter early on to protect the blossom and into a warm, sunny, but protected spot to ripen the fruit.

The alternative is to grow your peach tree against a warm south or west-facing wall as a fan with a trellis or wires spaced about 30cm (12in) apart to support it.
If you do plant into the open soil, the site should be protected from strong winds and the soil well-drained and fertile, so dig in plenty of grit and well rotted organic matter prior to planting, adding a little rose food (high potash) for good measure. Water well before mulching around the roots to retain moisture during the summer.

If planting in a container, choose one which is well-drained and plant using John Innes no 3 if you can get it. This is better for long-term container plants, especially those which might become top heavy.
Some initial pruning may be required after planting and this is done in early spring. In the case of a bush, remove the centre from the tree to leave four good branches and cut back the branches by a third. With fans pruning is more drastic, cutting back the main trunk to leave two main branches or buds that will form the basis of the fan framework in later years. However, it is often better to pay a little more for a three or four-year-old tree which has already been partly trained.

Varieties:
• ‘Avalon Pride’ (Suttons): Peach leaf curl resistant. Ripens early August.
• ‘Peregrine’: Reliable in the UK climate and easy to obtain. Ripens mid-August.
• ‘Rochester’: Later flowering so often misses the frosts. Ripens mid-August.
• ‘Saturne’: Delicious sweet, juicy flat-shaped fruits. Ripens mid-August.

For more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!