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missemerald

Looking for a peach tree

missemerald
12 years ago

Any recommendations for a peach tree that will successfully grow in Northern Virginia? My girls would love one in the backyard but I'm not sure of the varieties. We're not fond of white or "donut" varieties. I'd prefer freestone but really, if it tastes good and doesn't require tons of coddling, I don't care.

Thanks so much!

Comments (13)

  • Tony
    12 years ago

    you have alot of varieties to choose from: Clayton, Red Baron, Flat wonderful, Loring, Paul F. series: PF-24c etc.,
    Coral star series,True Gold and Red haven.

    Good Luck

    Tony

  • Randy31513
    12 years ago

    VT has some good resources.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Peaches & Nectarines in Virginia

  • olpea
    12 years ago

    Miss E,

    Pretty much any peach in the Redhaven season, or after, is going to be freestone (though there are a few exceptions).

    In VA any peach is going to require some coddling. There is a fella by the name of Don Yellman who used to post on this forum. He grew fruit in VA for years. He had about 3 major peach problems he had to treat. Leaf Curl, Plum Curculio, Oriental Fruit moth.

    One of his favorite peaches was a peach called Golden Jubilee. It's an old New Jersey peach that did well for Don and would probably do well for you. If your interested, I see Grandpa's Orchard carries it.

  • Scott F Smith
    12 years ago

    Along with the problems olpea mentions there is bacterial spot, brown rot, and the squirrels etc that will steal all of the fruit. Prepare for major coddling! Most peach varieties are pretty good and likely freestone. There is not a lot of difference in how hard the different varieties are, just don't get a nectarine and get it from a good east coast nursery since many west coast nurseries are prone to bacterial spot.

    Scott

  • blazeaglory
    12 years ago

    I love my Red Baron!! And people constantly rave about Redhaven. I have heard Suncrest to be one of the best tasting peaches and really juicy as well!

  • alan haigh
    11 years ago

    Earlier bearing varieties will require less spray for the obvious reason that they are on the tree for a shorter period but also because brown rot pressure tends to increase as weather gets warmer. Squirrels have a particular hankering for white peaches- the lower the acid the better.

  • olpea
    11 years ago

    Scott and Hman

    As you know, brown rot and bac. spot are both problems here. I didn't mention brown rot because I don't recall Don spraying for it. He only sprayed during early fruit development, which is why he bagged.

    Since Golden Jubilee worked under that regimen for him in VA, I thought it must be somewhat resistant to brown rot and bac. spot.

    I agree earlier peaches generally = less spraying.

    Blaze,

    I think Red Baron is highly susc. to bacterial spot, something that would be a non-issue where you're at, but is a pretty big deal in areas w/ heavy humidity/rainfall.

  • Scott F Smith
    11 years ago

    Olpea, Don had problems with peaches getting brown rot in bags so my recollection is at some point he switched to an all-summer spray program; only his apples were bagged. He used imidan for curculio/OFM, and captan for diseases, I don't recall how many sprays he did but I believe he was spraying all summer long. He also had problems with bacterial spot but used dormant copper on it. Many of my initial peach-growing insights I learned from Don.

    On the general issue of brown rot on peaches, I agree that a resistant variety will usually do pretty well in the mid-atlantic without spraying for it. Bacterial spot is also usually not a problem on resistant varieties. Still, bad luck is possible on both of these diseases if conditions are right for them. I agree later season varieties are also more prone to rotting. Don didn't like late peaches, not for the rot but for the number of OFM generations to fight.

    Anyway getting back to the question of the poster here, I agree Red Baron is not recommended for the mid-atlantic. My favorite peach for starting growers is Clayton, it has extreme disease resistance and excellent flavor, but its hard to find. Carolina Gold is another modern highly disease-resistant one and at least Cummins was selling it. There are many other good ones.

    Scott

  • blazeaglory
    11 years ago

    Yeah I see alot of Red Barons around here I guess they are good because they have a low chill hour for my area but for N. Virginia I guess that would be bad do to low higher frost and moisture? I found this list of peaches that would do well in N Virginia. I just cam across the website and It read that N. Virginia was the topic so I coped all the varieties with chill hours...hehe

    Belle of Georgia 850
    Bicentennial 750
    Biscoe 900
    Blake 750
    Bounty 800

    Brighton 750
    Camden 750
    Candor 950
    Cardinal 950
    Cary Mac 750

    Caroline Belle 750
    Clayton 950
    Contender 1050
    Coronet 700
    Correll 850

    Cresthaven 850
    Cullinan 850
    Denman 800
    Derby 750
    Dixigem 850

    Dixiland 750
    Dixired 950
    Elberta 850
    Ellerbe 850
    Emery 900

    Encore 900
    Fairtime 750
    Fay Elberta 750
    Fayette 850
    Finale 750

    Fireprince 750
    Flavorcrest 750
    Garnet Beauty 850
    Glohaven 850
    Goldcrest 650

    Goldprince 650
    Halehaven 850
    Hamlet 850
    Harbelle 850
    Harbinger 850

    Harbrite 850
    Harken 850
    Harvester 750
    Havis 850
    Hiley 750

    Idlewild 550
    Jayhaven 850
    Jefferson 850
    Jerseyglo 850
    Jerseyland 850

    Jerseyqueen 850
    J.H. Hale 850
    Junegold 650
    Juneprince 650
    Kalhaven 950

    Keystone 750
    LaFeliciana 600
    LaGold 700
    LaJewel 850
    LaPremier 900

    LaWhite 650
    Legend 950
    Loring 750
    Madison 850
    Marigold 650

    Majestic 850
    Marsun 850
    Marqueen 750
    McNeely 900
    Monroe 750

    Mountain Gold 850
    Nectar 1050
    Newhaven 950
    Norman 850
    Ouachita Gold 750

    Parade 900
    Pekin 950
    Ranger 900
    Raritan Rose 1000
    Redcap 750

    Redglobe 850
    Redhaven 950
    Redskin 750
    Regina 850
    Reliance 1000

    Richaven 950
    Rio Oso Gem 850
    Rubired 900
    Ruston Red 850
    Scarlet Pearl 750

    Sentinel 850
    Sentry 850
    Shippers Late Red 850
    Southland 750
    Springbrite 650

    Springcrest 650
    Springold 850
    Starlite 650
    Summer Pearl 900
    Sunbrite 750

    Sunhigh 750
    Sunland 750
    Sunprince 750
    Surecrop 1000
    Sweethaven 850

    Topaz 750
    Troy 950
    Tyler 950
    Velvet 950
    Washington 950

    Winblo 800
    Whynot 950

  • scaper_austin
    11 years ago

    Just curiuos do any of you east coast fruit growers ever try any of the LSU peaches? Harvester and LA Feleciana would be the most prominant. I would think if they can grow in that heat and blanket of mugginess than they must have disase resistance. Wasnt sure if they may be too low chill though. I have heard very good comments about flavor on both of these. Just curious if anyone had tried them.

    Scape

  • olpea
    11 years ago

    "Olpea, Don had problems with peaches getting brown rot in bags so my recollection is at some point he switched to an all-summer spray program; only his apples were bagged."

    Scott,

    You're right, I'd forgotten that. I don't recall him spraying fungicides later in the season for brown rot though. I think he relied on the natural resistance of his various cultivars for that.

    You've touted Clayton as a very good peach with Crawford flavor. I've wanted to try it for quite a while, but I don't think anyone sells it anymore. I don't think it's grown commercially anymore.

    Unfortunately, I think it's headed for extinction. You may be one of the last few who knows it's worth and still has a copy. (The repository at Davis doesn't have it.)

  • Scott F Smith
    11 years ago

    Scape, low chill peaches tend to bloom early so they are not popular here. In general there are many good peaches but there is time to try only so many; I have never grown any of the Paul Friday peaches for example. I happen too know the more recent NC state releases well because I grew most of them out. Winblo is another fantastic one from that program. The main advantage of the peaches from that program is they selected highly disease-resistant varieties, and paid more attention to flavor than most research programs do.

    Olpea, I offer Clayton through SSE partly for the reason you mention. I expect several of the research plantings in the southeast still have it as well. It is supposedly too small, thats why its not propagated today. It is about average in size compared to the heirlooms I grow, so I don't think of it as small.

    Scott

  • olpea
    11 years ago

    Scott,

    Small peaches don't bother me. All the early ones are small.

    Even the smallest peach is still bigger than an apricot.