Peaches (Prunus persica) have a long cultivation history. In China, peaches have been consumed for thousands of years. However, it was the Spaniards who introduced these stone fruits to the new world in the 16th century when they landed in Mexico.

Stone fruits include peaches, nectarines, and plums. The term “stone” refers to the seed enclosed in a hard pit surrounded by soft flesh. P. persica refers to both peaches and nectarines with the only difference between the two being that nectarines have smooth skin while peaches have a distinct “fuzz”.

Peaches come in two types of flesh-color, white and yellow. White peaches generally have a sweeter taste and lower acidity, relative to the yellow which has a hint of acidity that balances the sweetness. In the United States, Americans tend to prefer the yellow-fleshed peach and, fortunately for Floridians, it is also the type that grows best here.

Peach trees are usually bought bare rooted or in three- or five-gallon containers. Before buying inspect trees for any signs of insects, diseases, or other problems and only buy healthy trees. Since bare root trees are grown in field nurseries and harvested during the winter months, they should be planted as soon as possible to prevent the roots from drying out. Containerized trees may become root bound, so loosen the root ball by removing soil and roots as needed. This will help improve soil to root contact and stimulate new root growth. Plant peach trees in a sheltered but sunny location and in soil that is well-drained and has been amended with compost.

When you plant the tree, remove the side branches and a few inches from the top. It will look more like a stick than a tree. The existing branches are removed because they will never get any bigger and will not produce a stable structure for fruit production. Pruning the first branches encourages growth of new, strong branches in a shape that will support fruit development and growth.

Once your young tree is planted, train it to have an open, soup-bowl shape. After the first two years, prune it twice a year. Trim the tree lightly during the early summer, saving heavy pruning for the dormant season. Look for your fruit to ripen in April or May. After the first two years, peach trees should be pruned twice a year – during the winter (dormant period) to improve the structure of the tree, and then more lightly during the summer, after harvest, to improve air movement and the amount of sunlight entering the tree canopy.

Pruning during the winter should strive for an “open center” or “vase structure”, with branches that grow at roughly 90 degrees to each other and about 45 degrees from the trunk. Thinning or pruning should remove branches that are thinner than a pencil in diameter or have no leaf or fruit buds on the branch. Branches with only fruit buds will not develop fruit as well as those on branches with both leaves and fruit. To minimize sunburn during the summer, do not remove all the branches from the middle bowl of your vase shape. If you imagine looking down at your tree from above, you should have branches spreading out 360 degrees.

Peaches bear fruit in the spring on one-year-old wood (wood grown during the earlier spring, summer, and fall). This is why annual pruning during the dormant season is important. Excess fruit should be removed as soon as possible to leave single fruit 6 to 8 inches apart.

Florida's frequent summer rainfall can provide favorable conditions for fungal diseases like peach rust. If the tree defoliates because of disease, it will bloom due to stress, producing fruit at the wrong time of year and be vulnerable to frost. Rust can be managed with common fungicides like sulfur. Fungicides also help prevent peach scab.

Squirrels and raccoons can also be a problem as the fruit ripens; damage can be reduced by netting the tree once the fruits start turning color.

Zinc deficiencies are often seen in Florida soils and can be an issue for peaches. Use a soil test to find out if micronutrients are low. If needed, micronutrient foliar applications during the growing season can be helpful in supporting optimum boron, zinc, copper, and iron status in the leaf. 

The period from fruit set to when the fruit can be harvested, is called the fruit developmental period, or FDP. The FDP of many peach cultivars in Florida is relatively short with some ready for harvest in 60 days from fruit set. Since temperature can affect FDP, it can vary season to season. Warmer temperatures generally shorten FDP while cooler temperatures tend to lengthen it.  

When peach fruit ripens, the ground color (or background color) changes from green to yellow. Since ground color is not influenced by fruit position or sunlight exposure it can be used to decide when to harvest. The red coloring on peaches or its “blush” color, however, is affected by fruit position and sunlight. The more sun exposure the fruit receives the more intense the blush color. Slight softening at the fruit tip can also be used to figure out ripeness and when to harvest. Peaches should come off the tree easily when given a gentle twist. Since peaches will not ripen further once they are picked, it’s important to wait until they are fully ripe before harvesting.

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, I love to eat and cook them. You will see some of my favorite peach combinations throughout this article. Peaches can be eaten on their own or added to a variety of dishes. They are referred to as stone fruits because they have a large and hard seed and are from the rose family.  Peaches have a sweet, delectable aroma with delicious soft, juicy flesh that is full of nutrients and may offer a variety of health benefits such as improved digestion, smoother skin, and allergy relief. Yes, those fuzzy delectable peaches are a rich source of Vitamins A, C, E, and fiber. They also contain high amounts of potassium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.  Peaches are rich in phytochemicals called phenols that act as antioxidants. They provide 6% of the daily vitamin A needs and 15% of daily vitamin C needs. One medium peach also contains 2% or more daily value of vitamins E and K, niacin, folate, iron, choline, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, and copper.

When selecting peaches, you want a peach that is slightly firm with a sweet peachy smell. Do not squeeze peaches to see if they are firm because they bruise easily. Avoid if there are bruises or soft spots, worm holes, damaged, wrinkled, or dented skin on the peaches. The skin should have a creamy gold-or-yellow under color. The red or blush of a peach is an indication of variety and not ripeness. The more fragrant the peach the more flavorful it tends to be. Avoid any peaches that have a green color on their skin which indicates it was picked too early, is unripe and will not have much flavor. 

cooking

One medium peach contains:  67.6 calories, 1.34 grams protein, 0.4 grams fat, 14.8 grams carbohydrates, 2.2 grams fiber, 12.3 grams sugar, 5.88 milligrams calcium, 0.5 grams iron, 179 milligrams potassium, and 19.1 milligrams sodium. If you are diabetic keep in mind peaches are higher in carbohydrates, so watch how much you are eating to stay on top of your carbohydrate intake.