The care of peaches is very similar to that of nectarines and apricots.Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots are stone fruit that should have a larger place in our gardens and are much hardier than is usually thought (see below under ‘Protection’) 

Planting

Most soil types are acceptable, although Apricots do not like sandy, light soils. Should the soil be heavy, improve the drainage by adding gravel or stone to the bottom of the planting hole. As a rule, a sheltered, sunny position on a south wall or fence will offer optimum conditions for ripening fruits. However, sheltered East walls also benefit from having less Spring heat – thereby delaying the crop and giving better protection from late frost. A support system of trellis or wires is also needed for training the tree and supporting the heavy crop.

Pot-grown trees may be planted at any time of the year, though September or May is best; bare-root trees should be planted in early Winter or Spring. In both cases mulch to a depth of 6”/15cm, to a 4ft/120cm diameter around the tree.

Potted trees will need winter protection.

Pruning.

To exclude any risk of disease entering the tree never prune in winter but only when the sap is rising in early Spring, May, or at harvest time.

Feeding and watering

On an annual basis, mulch well and apply a balanced fertiliser in February/March. Make sure the tree does not dry out in the first year, as this will hinder establishment and fruit production. Liquid feed container trees, from May to when the fruits start to ripen, with high potash feed (e.g. a tomato feed) every 10-14 days. Beware erratic watering at any stage, which can cause splits to the fruits.

Pollination and Frost Protection

Both are essential for outdoor grown peach, nectarine and apricot. These trees flower in early spring when very few insects are on the wing to help with pollination, so additional help by hand will pay dividends. Using a soft brush gently transfer pollen between the flowers. This is best done on sunny days over the flowering period. Protection from frost in early spring is also required, in the form of horticultural fleece, or polythene sheet. However all peaches, nectarines and apricots are much hardier than is usually admitted. The average Peach has blossom that is as hardy as the Victoria plum and it is a fallacy that these fruit trees will not grow well in the UK.

Most gardening books tell us that these fruits can only be grown on walls facing south However common logic dictates that these trees will be overly protected by a wall and in fact this very protection will cause the fruit buds to open earlier, thus exposing the blossom to even earlier frost. Our stone fruit orchard, containing a full collection of Peaches Nectarines and Apricots, flowers regularly and, even in the exposed site it’s in, we early on noted that the eastern side of the trees would always have more fruit, especially with the Apricots.

Research done by ourselves and many other more esteemed bodies has shown that a protected site for these fruit trees is not such a good thing. Justin Brooke, a pioneering fruit tree grower, had orchards extending to 850 acres in the 1930’s including over 60 acres of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots and Figs. These were all grown in the open with no walls, and the crops of succulent fruit sent to the London markets by train, even in the severe winters of ’47-48, the crops were not lost.

Disease prevention

Protection with fleece etc. will also help control Peach Leaf Curl – which peaches and nectarines are prone to but not apricots. The fungus which is responsible for Peach Leaf Curl is set by rain so can be minimised by the frost protection used or by keeping the tree ‘top’ dry during late winter and spring. Any infected leaves should be removed and burned. A copper spray , applied at leaf fall and fortnightly from the end of January to mid-February, will also help protect against this disease.

Regular feeding and topping up with lime when needed will help to ward off disease.

Thinning

Thin the fruits when they are thumbnail–sized to ensure good even-sized fruit and to stop the fruit rubbing against each other which would affect the quality of the ripe fruit. Aim for 6”/15-25cm between fruits; do not thin once the fruit are walnut-sized or bigger. With apricots thinning can commence when the fruits are the size of ripe cherries, and continue all the way through, removing any badly placed, deformed or damaged fruits.