Donna:

No need to crack the hard shell. But it would be better to plant it now or in early fall rather than waiting until spring. The cold period of winter will help it sprout in the spring.

I also think I would plant more than one to increase the favorable odds, if you have any more peaches around.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Donna:

No need to crack the hard shell. But it would be better to plant it now or in early fall rather than waiting until spring. The cold period of winter will help it sprout in the spring.

I also think I would plant more than one to increase the favorable odds, if you have any more peaches around.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Don... I picked 5 peaches from a local tree, unsure of the type, but they're older big trees. How likely are the seeds to grow into a tree that produces decent peaches? I plan on trying anyways, just wondering...

Frank:

Most seedling peach trees will ultimately produce peaches that are not only decent but pretty good. To me, any homegrown peach that is left to ripen on the tree is excellent. The problem is to be able to let them ripen on the tree in spite of hazards like birds, rots, and insects. Raising peaches takes some care and attention in most places.

The downside of seedling peaches is that a seedling rootstock will produce a larger, faster-growing tree, but not necessarily one that is quicker to fruit. And you will not be able to decide the ripening period of the fruit. I generally prefer the earlier peaches, although they are of slighly lower quality, since they don't have to hang on the tree quite so long. Also, there are some newer peach varieties that have inbred resistance to bacterial spot, which is a big bugaboo for me.

All things considered, I would not personally raise out a seedling peach tree, since it takes a long time and I want to know what I will get. But I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of it that wants to try it.

Sorry about that double post above. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, it happened twice.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thank you Don.

Donna

Maybe i'll plant them in my mom's yard :) :) :)

Tigerlily Al

I have about 50 peach trees in WVA. About a month ago we discovered two peach trees on my mothers property that are about 8 feet tall and were grown from seed (by mistake). How interesting it is though, because they have gone unnoticed for a couple years. We think the seeds were thrown in a make shift composting pile that's been abandoned and theyve grown through. I was just there this weekend and took a couple photos. I dont have any idea what kind they might be, ( I have four varieties and who knows if they came from a store somewhere) but its exciting to see them and hopefully they will produce pretty good this year. My guess is they are probably about 3 maybe 4 years old.

Good luck!

I have a seedling peach tree in my back yard. I found it sprouting at the edge of my compost pile and immediately potted it for special care for it's first few years before planting it in the ground. It produces high quality peaches. I'm sure that the parentage is from peaches that I grown, and none of them are junk. That contributed to my decision to bring it to fruit and see what it was. It ripens in a slightly different season than my other peaches. The only downside is that it is a semi-freestone. Otherwise it resembles August Pride but ripens a bit earlier. I'm glad to have it.

You may have different results.

I been trying to grow peaches from seeds but they just
wouldn't sprout.One day I got a sweet juicy peach from
the store I loved it and saved the seed.In a frew short years I had a nice tree but the fruit is a blueish color
It tastes great but is this some kind hybrid or is it the soil?

i grew 10 trees last year from seeds as an experiments. i plan to do 100 plus this year i will let you if they grow

I finally had some peach seedlings that popped up this year. They are doing great and I moved them to bigger pots because I am not ready to plant them yet. Should I sink the pots into the ground to overwinter them? I live in zone 5/6, and I don't want to lose them. Any advice for over-wintering them?

Yup...either bury them or put them in a garage or maybe a shed...

I have several seedlings. Whenever I eat a fruit I like I plant the seeds. I stick them in a jar with a bit of wet cotton in the fridge, then when the jar is full I wait a couple of weeks, then I plant them in containers in the yard (Like, say, tomato or pepper plants.) Eventually some come up. I have gotten apple, peach, apricot, and pomegranate. All small but good.

Rather than start a new thread, I hope it's ok to piggy back here.

I have discovered peach tree seedlings all around a peach tree in my yard, They are probably now several years old.

I also have one that is in the flower bed right next to my deck, it's definitely several years old and probably 5 ft tall. I have meant to dig it up but never got around to it.

ANY chance of relocating it now? I don't know how deep the roots would be at this point. And what about the smaller ones in the garden area? what's the best way to dig them up in an attempt to save them?

I have plum seedlings in the same area...I never knew they were from the plum tree until I saw them leaf out this year, they have been cut back several times, because I assumed they were just nussaince volunteer trees

If they are just popping up out of the ground - most likely they are the rootstock rather than a volunteer, seedling peach.

Rootstocks can be terribly hit or miss... Many of the proper, purpose bred Rootstocks have bitter fruit or simply may not fruit because of chill hours or pollination... Otherwise - rootstock for cheap, box store type trees are cannery seedlings... so there is a chance you get something that's at least reasonably good eating.

Typically - the rule is to cut off the rootstock sprouts and let the graft grow... as some rootstocks will "Prune" off the grafts if you let them grow...

Thanks

This particular peach tree dropped ALOT of fruit so couldn't it be from a seed? how can you tell?

and what about the one by my deck, it was definitely where some compost material was dumped before the beds were filled in. Can it be dug up without damaging it?

Your volunteer peach trees probably are from seed. I get lots of these that come up every year. Peach rootstocks like Lovell, Halford, etc. rarely sucker unless the whole top is killed.

It's going to be tough to move this tree successfully since it's already leafed out. You could try though, since the downside is that your only risking a volunteer tree.

If you do try to move it, make sure you construct some temporary shade. A large old umbrella taped to a T-post works pretty good as long as there isn't too much wind.

I wouldn't move it now, wait until it goes dormant. It will have a much better chance of surviving the move, if you do.

x2.
The best time to move trees is when they are dormant and when the ground isn't frozen....

So.. Tie a bright strip of Surveyor's tape on it - so you don't forget... then dig it up in January and replant somewhere else...

Thanks

x2.
The best time to move trees is when they are dormant and when the ground isn't frozen....

So.. Tie a bright strip of Surveyor's tape on it - so you don't forget... then dig it up early next spring and replant somewhere else...

Thanks