Perfect Peaches: How to Grow this Sweet Summer Delight

Please check out the brief video above, to learn what this premium gardening guide is all about—the video will give you a glimpse into all the content in this gardening guide, including history and background, planting tips, specific plant profiles, recipes, nutrition and health information, and resources to help you be the best food gardener you can be.

Curator’s Corner

If you’ve ever sunk your teeth into a sweet, juicy peach and wished you could grow your own, you’re in luck. Though we often think of peaches as a warm-climate crop—Georgia peaches, anyone?—the truth is that peaches require some winter weather to encourage… READ MORE

Norann Oleson, Editorial Director of Food Gardening Network

Introduction

What other fruit is used as a synonym for someone who’s a delight to be around? Just the peach, as in “She’s a real peach!” There’s a reason for that: The peach really is a peach of a fruit, high in nutrients, low in calories, and absolutely delicious to… READ MORE

Features

Growing Zones for Peaches

Peaches generally thrive in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8, although specific cultivars may have different tolerances. Here are some examples of U.S. states within these growing zones: Zone 5: Some states in this zone are: Northern parts of Illinois Indiana Southern Iowa Kansas Kentucky Southern Michigan Missouri Southern Nebraska Ohio Pennsylvania West Virginia Zone… READ MORE

Types of Peaches

Those 2,000 varieties of peaches come in three types, all based on how easy it is to remove the flesh from the peach pit inside the fruit. All three can come with the familiar yellow flesh, or with white flesh, which some people believe is sweeter. READ MORE

Growing Peaches from Seeds, Trees, or Cuttings

Your first choice when deciding to grow peaches is whether you want to start with seeds, seedlings, or cuttings. Unlike many other fruits, peaches grown from the seed of standard trees (not grafted) will remain true to the parent. READ MORE