Totally peachy!
They look (and taste) fabulously exotic – but these beauties are easy to grow in the UK
THERE are few fruits that can compare to a fully ripe peach. Plump, round and succulent, with sweet, sticky flesh and aromatic skin that is silky to the touch, they are a taste sensation.
It’s little wonder that the word ‘peach’ is used to describe to someone or something that is deemed to be highly pleasing or attractive.
As much as I enjoy peaches bought from my local supermarket, they rarely compare to the perfection of those golden, red-blushed varieties I’ve eaten in sunnier climes abroad. The closest we come to matching these delicious fruit is to harvest from trees planted in our own gardens, whether in pots or the ground.
These seemingly exotic fruit, along with closely related nectarines and apricots, are remarkably easy to grow on our shores. In fact, we have been growing them over here since the 16th Century, when entire glasshouses in the walled gardens of wealthy landowners were set aside for their cultivation.
In the past, these fruit trees were considered a little too tender to be raised without protection from the elements but modern breeding has led to a raft of varieties that are completely reliable in our climate. All they need is a warm, sunny and sheltered position. Frost-pockets should be avoided at all costs.
Peaches, nectarines and apricots are native to China and were cultivated by the ancient Greeks, Persians and Romans.
They are related to cherries, plums and other species known as stone fruits, due to the stone or pit that is found in the centre of the flesh. This large, hard shell protects a seed.
All three types will thrive in moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Potgrown varieties can be planted all year round, while bare-root trees are available for planting from November until April.
In my opinion, it’s best to plant sooner rather than later, giving plants the chance to establish before blossom arrives in spring. They can be grown as free-standing trees in the open ground or raised as fans against walls and fences.
Young plants are available to buy but these will take several years to bear fruit. It’s better to go for a more mature tree of about 4ft or 5ft, or a ready-trained, two-to-three-yearold fan.
Ensure plants prosper by giving them plenty of attention. Mulch generously in early spring and feed with slow-release fertiliser in April. The flowers appear on bare stems in spring and are vulnerable to a sharp frost. If necessary, carefully drape branches with horticultural fleece or use a jacket-like fleece plant cover.
Ensure that fruit have plenty of space to develop by thinning out tiny fruitlets when they are about the width of a little fingernail.
Remove poorly placed, small or misshapen ones, leaving 6in between mini peaches and 3in between apricots. Be prepared to protect the tasty fare from hungry birds and squirrels.
Some varieties are naturally dwarf or have been developed to remain compact due to a special propagation technique. These rarely grow to any more than about 4ft in height and are perfect in 18in diameter pots filled with John Innes No3 compost.
Feed container trees in mid-spring to get them off to a flying start. Water almost every day and give a highpotash feed every fortnight during the growing season.
Repot every three years or so, mixing in some controlled-release fertiliser granules.
Keep a close eye out for peach leaf curl, a fungal disease that disfigures the foliage of peaches, nectarines and apricots, leading to a loss of vigour and poor crops.
Bordeaux Mixture used to be the go-to cure but there are no longer any fungicides available to treat the problem, so prevention is crucial.
The spores are generally spread by wind and rain. Prevent infection of wall- or fence-trained plants with an open-sided, lean-to plastic shelter, making sure it remains in place from November to May.
A few varieties are more resistant to the disease than others, although none is completely immune.