 |
| |
|
|
|
ORDER OUR BARE ROOT PLANTS AND TREES ONLINE
What Are Chill Hours?
WHAT ARE LOW CHILL VARIETIES?
A Great Gift Idea
Celebrate a holiday, a birthday, an anniversary or any special occasion with a unique gift. Choose from our wide selection of fruit and
ornamental trees, vines and roses. Undecided? Call us at 800-847-6473 and order a gift certificate with your personalized message.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ROOT STOCKS FOR PEACHES
CITATION (Cit.)
Peaches and nectarines dwarfed to 8-14 ft.; apricots and plums dwarfed to 12-18 ft. Very tolerant of wet soil; not drought tolerant(induces early dormancy in dry soil) so needs very regular water in hot climates; a top dressing of mulch can help maintain soil moisture. Resists root-knot nematodes. Induces heavy bearing at a young age. Very winter hardy. Strong and well anchored. Pat. No. 5112 (Zaiger)
LOVELL (Lov.)
Vigorous, standard rootstock for plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, almonds. More tolerant of wet soils than Nemaguard; also more cold hardy. Susceptible to nematodes in sandy soils. Provides good anchorage and high degree of disease resistance. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 ft.; size can be controlled further with summer pruning.
NEMAGUARD (Nema.)
Standard rootstock for nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums, prunes, almonds. Vigorous, resists root-knot nematode. Excellent for well drained soils. In heavy or poorly drained soil, plant on mound or hill. May not be winter hardy below 5°F. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 ft., size can be controlled further with summer pruning.
NOTE: For areas with very hot, dry climates, we do not recommend Citation root stock. We have had reports from customers in Texas and Arizona who have had much better luck with Nemaguard. We realize some of the varieties are only offered on Citation and if you wish to plant those varieties, be sure to supply adequate irrigation.
The history of the peach is somewhat surprising – the peach originated in China. It got its name from the Greeks on the false assumption that it was from Persia (the botanical name for peach is Persica). Peaches arrived in England in the middle of the sixteenth century; in 1629 the seeds (or pits) were sent on to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Peaches are grown throughout the United States; the top producers are California, Georgia and South Carolina. Nectarines are grown primarily in California and sold only as fresh produce, whereas peaches are also grown for canning purposes.
If you’re lucky, you can buy some really good peaches at your local farmer’s market; but as is often the case, you can waste a lot of money at the supermarket buying peaches that rot from the center or are completely tasteless – two good reasons to grow your own! The selection of peach varieties is immense. Peaches are white, yellow, and red and different varieties suit different climates. The newest developments enable warm winter growers to not only grow peaches, but to spread out their production from May to August! The “Pride” series is our offering for this particular climate. Start with May Pride, then on to Eva’s Pride, next Mid Pride and last, August Pride. These are all delicious, yellow, freestone types. Clingstone peaches are great for canning, but in the modern world, few of us have the time for canning, thus , clingstone peaches have not been popular in the home orchard market. We do offer one cling-stone variety, Indian Blood Cling because it’s so unique! The skin is red and so is the rich flavored flesh.
One of the newest phenomenon in the peach world is the “saucer” peach. The first variety we offered is Donut (Stark’s Saturn). This is a small, flat, white fleshed peach, slightly indented in the center, which has a hint of almond (it’s interesting to note that peaches and almonds are closely related and grow on some of the same root stocks.) The next “saucer” variety we carried is Sweet Bagel. This is a yellow-fleshed peach with classic peach flavor. And last. but not least (it’s a very large peach!) is Galaxy. This variety can weigh up to 1/3 pound. The light skin is accented with a red blush and the flesh is white – delicate and aromatic.
Any fruit tree can lend beauty to the garden if it is pruned in a pleasing way, but many fruiting peaches have the additional benefit of spectacular flowers. The prime examples are Double Jewel, May Pride, Red Baron and Saturn. You can also enjoy peach flowers without the fruit; see our section on “Flowering Trees.” As with nectarines, peach trees are susceptible to the diseases “peach leaf curl” and “brown rot of stone fruit.” Do a good clean-up at the end of the season. If you live in an area where these diseases are common, spray lime sulfur or fixed copper two to three times during the dormant season There are peach varieties that have been found to be resistant to “peach leaf curl” : Frost, Indian Free, Muir and Q-1-8.
There are so many wonderful ways in which to use fresh peaches! A morning treat – fresh peaches on your cereal – or over pancakes or waffles. Add a few drops of rum or kirsch over peaches for an ice cream topping, or better yet, make your own homemade peach ice cream! Don’t’ care for that “fuzzy” skin; simply submerge the peaches in boiling water for about one minute and the skin peels off in an instant.
- Peach Pie
Here’s an easy recipe for peach pie.
- - Pie Crust
- I make a crust using canola oil: Blend 1 cup of flour with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar and 1/3 cup oil.
- Mix in 1 ½ tablespoons of milk Form into a ball and refrigerate approximately ½ hour.
- Roll dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap
- - Peach Filling
- Mash 2 cups of peaches, add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of water and 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Cook until thickened.
- Cool.
- Mix 2 cups of raw peaches with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and place in unbaked pie shell.
- Pour the cooked peaches on top and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
- This same recipe can be used for Strawberry Pie.
|
|
|
|
|
1.jpg)
