Choosing Peach VarietiesPeach trees are self-fertile, so they don't require another variety of peach planted nearby in order to set fruit. But by planting two peach trees with different bloom and harvest times, you can extend your peach-harvesting season.
There are thousands of listed varieties of peach trees; about 200 varieties are readily available in the marketplace. To select a peach that is good for your growing area, it's best to check with your local county extension service. A peach that is recommended by the extension service will be sure to have its chilling requirements met. Like almost all fruit trees, peaches must have a certain number of hours below 45 degrees and above freezing in order to set fruit. These so-called chilling requirements differ from variety to variety, and your extension service will have taken them into account in the variety recommendations.
Note on the Cooperative Extension Services
You may have noticed that we often refer you to your local cooperative extension service for additional information. Why? Because extension service agents are local experts, the ones right in your own neighborhood. They understand your local climate and growing conditions better than anyone else.
If you don't know how to get in contact with your local extension service, here is a website that will help you easily locate the extension service nearest you: www. csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.
On Fresh From the Orchard, we decided to plant a Red Globe and a Jefferson. Jefferson is a freestone peach. The skin is bright yellow with a red blush, and the flesh is yellow to orange. The tree is a dependable producer and has showy blooms in the spring. The variety was developed in Virginia and named after Thomas Jefferson, who planted 38 different peach varieties at his orchard at Monticello.
Red Globe is also a freestone peach. It produces large red fruit with yellow flesh. Red Globe has attractive fruit with an excellent flavor.
If you have a small yard with limited planting space, you'll probably want a dwarf or semidwarf tree. But if you have lots of wide-open space to fill, a standard tree will give you much more fruit. Standard trees can get 20' tall and wide but can easily be pruned to half that height for ease of maintenance and harvesting. Semidwarfs typically mature at 12' or so. Dwarfs trees can be as low as 3' to 4' at maturity, but bear in mind that they will yield proportionally less fruit.
