Size was 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches across.

I did not do a very good job thinning this year and so fruit size might have suffered.

The advice is to thin peaches to 6"- 8" separation between fruits. But, peaches grow as "twins" on opposite side of the shoot/branch.
Do we remove one of the "twins" or is it 6' - 8" inch separation on each side of the shoot/branch??

Mike

Some were nice and soft and super sweet with a strong peach flavor. I skinned them, cut them into small cubes and froze them.

This coming weekend I will try to add them to some heavy cream and experiment with making some peachy ice cream.

Wish me luck
Mike

We select the biggest fruitlets at thinning regardless of shoot placement (except if they are in tight crotches, or don't allow enough room for another peach).

Peaches opposite of one another, we try to thin, but it doesn't always work that way.

In wet years (like this year) early season peaches do very poorly if heavily shaded in the lower part of the canopy. They can taste very watered down. I don't seem to notice it as much with later season peaches (peaches after Redhaven-although most years the ground is dry and cracking even when Redhaven harvests).

On early season peaches, the first couple pickings are good, but after that quality (i.e. sugar) can become very spotty during wet springs, so I don't like to sell those later pickings. Keep in mind the later pickings are generally in the most shaded parts of the tree.

In a dry year there is more consistency, especially with later varieties. Typically, we get less rain with the later varieties, so quality may be purely a rainfall issue.