Peach
Peach Fruit Trees
Beautiful spring blossoms and sweet, juicy fruit make peaches and nectarines favorites for the home garden. The trees look alike and have the same cultural needs; the main difference is that the fruit of peaches is fuzzy skinned, while that of nectarines is smooth.
A standard peach or nectarine grows rapidly to 25 feet high and wide, but pruning can keep trees to 10 to 12 feet. Mature trees need more pruning than other fruit trees do. They produce fruit on 1-year-old branches; severe annual pruning renews the fruiting wood.
Cut back some branches by one-third, others by two-thirds, and the remainder nearly all the way. Keep the center open by removing any vigorous shoots growing through the middle.
Peaches and nectarines always have to be picked ripe. They do not ripe well after they have been picked. You can keep peaches and nectarines for one to three days but you have to be very careful, one small bruise and it will go bad on that spot.
Peaches and nectarines taste best consumed “warm” from the tree. Often jam is made out of it because they can’t be stored fresh. Nectarines are mostly eaten with the skin as peaches are mostly peeled.
