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Why a post on peaches in July? Well anyone who has peach trees growing in their landscape will tell you that the peaches are ready to be picked. In Tucson? Oooooh yes!! I have 3 peach trees growing on the property and it's time to enjoy the *excuse the pun* fruits of my labor:) Peach trees have low chilling hour requirements and make great fruit trees for our Tucson area. Let's look at the Elberta Peach.
Of my 3 trees, this variety has produced some of the most delicious peaches. I wrote about the Red Baron Peach back in February. While it had beautiful dark and large pink flowers, it hasn't produced any fruit yet. The Elberta, which I placed into the ground less than a year ago, has produced two crops of fruit! The above pic is a sample of the profuse pink blooms that covered our tree at El Presidio.
Here is a pic of the fruit in May. I have about 12 or 13 of these delightful peaches on the tree right now. Protect them from the extreme wind......and ants:) It loves full sun with regular watering. It's a moderate grower with a roundish habit. You can buy this plant as a dwarf, semi-dwarf, or normal size plant. Mine is a semi-dwarf variety that will reach 12-15 feet. The tree can get 15-25 feet high with a spread of 8-20 feet . The chill hours required are listed at 750-800 hours. Remember that chill hours are anything below 45 degrees during our winter months. This winter we had A LOT of chill in the air:) However this variety was listed with a chill hour requirement of 450-500 hours. So far, it has been the best performing peach tree on the property. I look forward to people sampling the amazing peaches this summer. Until next time.....
