When are peaches in season you ask? You’re in luck, because the peach harvest has begun and will continue through to September. If you buy what you can fresh off the tree (or even better, picked off your own tree) the fruit is easy to freeze and is especially delicious in smoothies and peach pies, canned for eating in the middle of winter, or fresh straight off the tree.
One good rinse under clean water and it’s ready to eat. Peaches don’t ripen all at the same time on your tree, so your crop will be spread out during the harvest season from July to September. You might have to pick some of the raw fruit if the crop is too heavy so your branches don’t break. Fruit thinning also allows other peaches to fully ripen while your tree remains healthy.
Peach trees provide beautiful back yard additions throughout any season, grow delicious fruit, and when in bloom, attract valuable pollinators. These fruit bearing trees are relatively easy to grow in our service areas – Kamloops, Sechelt/Gibsons and the Fraser Valley. If you want to plant a single tree in your back yard, you won’t need a pollinator because most varieties are self-fertile.
Current recommended species in BC are Early Redhaven, Redhaven, Harbrite, Valiant and Vetran. Redhaven producee excellent early fruit. If you want to plant more than one tree, space them with a minimum diameter of 5 meters (16 feet) in deep silt or sandy loam. If your yard is prone to high winter winds, plant your tree in a sheltered spot.
Taking care of peach trees begins with proper pruning in the spring or fall, and throughout any season, damaged limbs need to be removed but don’t prune new trees too heavily. Remove branches that are growing into the centre of the tree or small branches growing on the underside. Mature trees will need heavier pruning for strong branches that carry fruit load.
Watch for signs of pests on your peach tree, including borers, earwigs, aphids and mites. To be sure what you are looking for, check out some creepy Google images for macro photos that identify these pests. Common diseases of peach trees are leaf curl, powdery mildew and Coryneum blight. There are several products available to control these issues, and organic solutions are sold through local retailers.
Fruit trees need regular care and pruning for periodical removal of dead, diseased or broken limbs. Our management schedules also protect your (and your neighbour’s) trees from pest invasion and disease.
For solutions to healthy trees and fruit crops, call the team at Twin Rivers Tree Services and Landscaping. We have three locations to serve customers better, and take pride in delivering professional arborist services that preserve and protect our fruit crops.
For more tree information, read other blogs or our FAQ page.