It looks like Grandpa's has it now. You can add it to your cart, anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: PF-24C

Athen-

I'm thinking about chainsawing my peach trees and getting one of these or Madison/Contender for the only in ground tree (everything else is going in whiskey barrels)... Although i'm starting to doubt any peach is real suitable for this climate without good protection.

Athena,
We have 1 four yr old Contendeer that had over 80 peaches this yr (1st yr it fruited). We also have some 3 yr old Madison, Fingerlake Super Hardy, and 2 Blushingstar (white peach) trees. First off, any tree ripened peach is excellent, but the Fingerlakes had three peaches this year and were great, but you have to get a Blushingstar also. Ours had one lonely peach this year but it was soooo good! Can't wait till next year!

P.S. I hated peaches till I had a fresh one.

Jake

Whatever my 3 peach trees are (they were labeled Reliance, but i'm 100% sure they aren't) they were delicious. Too bad i only had 8 between 3 trees. They also seem to have a lot of dieback after winter. They get the ax if they don't produce this spring :)

If survival is the issue with you, I would suggest you look at the McKay Peach. It was formerly known as the "Wisconsin Balmer".

I keep telling myself to order one, but I think I'll wait to see what doesn't make it in my garden first.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0820432432511.html

Here is a link that might be useful: McKay Peach Tree

It's in both my Stark fall catalog and on their website.

Thank you! I'll order the peach from Grandpa's. I'll have to drive out to the McKay Nursery in spring to take at look at their peach tree. I checked the Stark website again and I don't see the PF 24C on there. They have the Flamin Fury which is 24-007 which is a relative but not the same as what I'm looking for.

As for my own peaches - I have a Madison currently but it has a lot of dieback so I don't think it is the right peach for me.

"They have the Flamin Fury which is 24-007 which is a relative but not the same as what I'm looking for."

OK, I see Flaming Fury "Jumbo" and Flaming Fury "Cold Hardy". Sorry.

I think someone needs to teach Paul Friday a better naming strategy.

I think that 24-007 is a monster giant peach..like the biggest you can grow? I'll look into McKay... I've trended towards planting more apricots this year, so we'll so how that turns out... I love peaches, but if they don't produce, its a big waste in my very small amount of space i have available.

If I was trying to grow peaches in an area so far north that you can expect die back every season I think I'd try training them about a foot over the ground and throw leaves and a tarp over them just before onset of extreme weather. It would be a little extra work but not much.

By the way, peach varieties tend to be best when there are just a few on a young tree. Takes a few years to evaluate any variety.

I just purchased 3 - PF24C from Cummins Nursery.
They show 35 left. They seem good to work with.

http://www.cumminsnursery.com/available2010.php?type=Peaches&show=noZeros

Schlabach's Nursery has the PF 24C. I ordered 5 last year. They are Amish, however do have a phone. 585-798-6198. They have about 20 varieties of peaches. Call them and they'll send you a catalog. Good people.

Luke

Harvestman - there's no need to do all that. I had a peach tree planted by the previous owners of my house that never had any dieback although the tree was biennial so I only had fruit every other year. It died from canker and I'm trying to find a good replacement.

I'll look at Cummins - they've got 25 left now so they're selling fast.

Franktank

Let me introduce myself. I am someone trying to grow peaches for the first time in the Mpls/St. Paul area. I started doing Google searches and one of the most interesting things I found was a post by you from "A NAFEXer from a couple of years ago" in a post title "growing peaches in zone 4". I cut and pasted it to a file and kept it for reference. Earlier this summer I contacted someone named Bob Purvis who is President of the apricot interest group who did live in MN. I sent him an excerpt of the post you made and asked if he knew who the person was because MN peach/apricot growers are not a big world. He did and gave the email of this person. I emailed him an excerpt and asked if he was the same person. He said "Yes, and I wish that guy would not publish that without giving the proper credit to me". Just a word that this person said to me that I am passing on to you. Having said that I hope you write back because I have read your emails about growing Reliance peach trees, etc. and would like to trade notes, ideas, etc about growing apricots and peaches in the Great White North. I have gained some knowledge trading emails with Bob Purvis about apricots, peaches and cherries. For instance Bob was able to get about 70lbs 2 different years of sweet cherries off a BlackGold in Cottage Grove. He has seen it withstand -30F with no tip damage. I have one ordered for next year along with a StarkGold Cherry ( Bob has report of it withstanding -38F) For apricots I have Harlayne, Harogem and Tomcot coming next spring. I also have ordered PF24C, Contender, Veteran, Autumnstar, and Carolina Gold. I have also started 4 Reliance peach trees this last year. As a final note I have befriended this peach researcher from Cold Spring, MN that you republished his growing tips and he has agreed to answer peach questions for me so far. If you have any questions or a note for him I can pass them along.

Reggie

I live 15 miles east of St. Paul. In 2008 I planted a Contender and a PF-24C peach tree. Both died the first winter. When I lived in Oshkosh, WI, I had a Reliance peach for about three years. Then it winter killed in a cold winter before it ever bore peaches. I have heard of people having success with peaches, but I don't plan to invest any more money into trying to grow them this far north. northwoodswis

I'm growing peaches here in z4 Wisconsin. I would also echo comments made before and say they are a real gamble. Lots of dieback, very few flowers, if any and any winter could make it their last.

I would assume if one could rig up some sort of protective cover or pot grow them, they would be much more successful in getting a tree to survive and fruit, even if the numbers may not be impressive.

is a mckay peach (formerly tne wisconsin balmer) better for 4a than a pf24c peach? I heard the wisconsin balmer was cultivated from a tree growing in Neillsville wi. that did very well for years.

Could some of you people who tried to grow peahces in zone 4 tell what the minimum tempertures were that your tree died under? It is a little hard get much info when you just say "it died". I can't translate "it died" to the tempertures at my location. Second Fall tempertures before the tree hardened could be the problem but who can tell from these entries. Try writing for instance if a variety can't survive -20F then that is a problem I would like to be aware of or writing we had a 30 degree drop in fall temps (which happens in all zones) and it likely killed the tree at that time.

Herodhobert--I contacted a peach researcher who grows in Cold Spring, MN (I don't think I can mention him here)about what worked best for him in zone 4a. He recommends Reliance and McKay and also Veteran (He tested Veteran for VanWell Nursery)but said PF24C was nothing special over these varieties for sheer hardiness but of course it may well be a higher quality peach as the PF series is known for so give it a try but if it isn't hardy enough think about some this researcher found more hardy.

Conan--Here's my experience. Planted a Reliance and Intrepid spring of 06. Had about -15 or so that winter, both trees made it through with no problem. Both bloomed a little, the Intrepid set one fruit. The trees went dormant well and we had a longish fall, no severe drops in temperature. In late January, the temperatures went to -28 for several days. In March when the frost went out, both trees' branches were greenish/red and supple, looking like they had made the winter with no problem. The branches then proceeded to dry up and I thought both trees were dead (We did not have any severe cold come back during the spring, either). Once branch coming out near the base of the Intrepid (above the graft) put out leaves in late April/early May, about right on cue with other fruit trees, then slowly other branches started putting out leaves, starting near the base of the branch and slowly extending outwards. The Reliance showed no sign of life. The Intrepid continued over the summer to put out leaves, eventually extending out about 2/3 to all the way out on the branches, and it put a lot of growth on.

In late June, the Reliance put out a bud at the top of the trunk where it broke into branches. This was gradually followed by others, and by end of summer it had quite a few new branches from that spot with 3 feet of growth.

Fall 09, the Intrepid's growth had matured and the tree was starting to turn color the 1st of Oct. The Reliance was still very green, and only the lowest parts of the new growth were showing signs of the wood starting to mature. Oct. 2nd it started snowing, which was followed by a week of sub-freezing temperatures, a couple nights got down to 12, and the warm up after that was mid-late November temperatures instead of October ones. The Intrepid finished dropping its leaves after the first hard freeze, the leaves are still hanging on the Reliance now. The Reliance does not look too good to me--the branches aren't greenish-red and supple, more like reddish scarred and sometimes a bit shriveled. The Intrepid shows a mix, from greenish-red and supple branches to some that are just reddish scarred and a bit shriveled looking at the tips. We had a week with -28 in early December, then another brief stint in late January where it was about -22.

On the hopeful side, we did not have any warm weather during the winter. We have finally gotten up into the 40's this last week, the first time we've seen that (or really even above freezing) since Thanksgiving. So, if the trees did get to their fullest dormancy, there was no warm weather to reduce it.

I have not grown PF24C(yet) but I can vouch for Schlabach's
Nursery. I have purchased from them three times and find
their quality and pricing to be fantastic. I purchased twice for home use and once commercially.

As far as peaches, I currently have 3 Reliance. My 9 year
old tree bore 110 peaches this year. Down from an average
of 350 each season the last two seasons. Late spring frost
an terrible battle with mites were the reasons crop was less this year. My other two trees are a few years old
and bore a decent crop for their size.

I find Reliance to be fully hardy for me in S.E. Wisconsin.
However, I am in town and somewhat near lake michigan (1/2
hour west of the lake). This seems to make a difference.
I get peaches EVERY year but my friends who try Reliance
farther inland get some years with no fruit or loose their
tree from winter injury if we have a really cold winter.

Flavor on Reliance does vary year to year. Some years GREAT fresh eating and other years it is more of a cooking/canning peach. No problem. I like peach pie and
canned peaches too. I never have a problem finding a home
for them.

where you can buy cuttings for grafting PF 24C Cold hardy?

I think they are still under patent.