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troman1973

Anyone Growing Peaches in the far north??

troman1973
16 years ago

Hi,

I bought two contender peach trees last year. Everyone told me that they would never grow in North Dakota. Well they both made it through the winter and I even have one peach on one of them! Now I dont really know how to take care of them. How to prune? Do I have to spray them? I cant be the only one that has gotten a peach to grow up north. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Comments (91)

  • rqhansen
    12 years ago

    The Siberian C variety is supposed to be hardier than Reliance, McKay or Contender but the peaches are not particularly big. I know someone in WI that is growing them and this is his website, he might know of a source. You can also get them from a repository in Washington state but I have to look this one up. Peaches can be shortlived in Northern Climates too.

    http://beyondvineyard.com/

  • tveguy2
    12 years ago

    I live in Zone 5, used to be 5a, but now the new zone map puts me just into zone 5b. I have had great luck growing Contender peaches. Had to prop up the branches even after thinning. The blossoms withstood several hard freezes too, and still produced. I've ordered one called truGold from gurneys, that's touted as being heartier then Contendor and Reliance. We'll see, if I get the tree. I've ordered it twice before and they canceled the order as they ran out of stock. Also I've found one called Flamin'Fury PF-24C-Cold Hardy that's said to be quite cold hearty. If anyone has tried either of these I'd like to hear how they've done. I've read that truGold is planted on it's own root stock, and can be started from seed.

    Here is a link that might be useful: USDA new zone map

  • CLBlakey
    11 years ago

    This thread has given be a good laugh sorry but at some of your expense. I moved to a zone 2b a few years ago and have been suffering zone envy previously a zone 5 where peaches are a main crop LOL so to read here that people in zone 5 and 6 are excited about peaches is a bit funny to me as that is where they are grown in the Okanagan regularly. Hearing that people in zone 3 and 2 are trying them in micro climates is awesome and having luck. To the zone 4 guy that started this I know it is years later but you go for it!! I suppose everyone needs a good laugh now and then.

  • TheDerek
    11 years ago

    I have a 3 year old contender in my back yard in Bismarck ND. Growing well so far, its about 7ft tall and bushy. Got it from Gurneys, bloomed well last spring but a late frost killed the fruit. Hope for better this year. Interested in getting some cuttings from a Mckays tree to graft onto my contender if anyone has one and would be willing to ship at my expense.

    Thanks

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    has anyone ever seen a weeping peach shrub/bush i have and the peaches where good and sweet i saved the pits and cracked them all open last year then put the seeds in the compost pile last year and they all where coming up in march 28 so sens it was still cold out i took 4 in and they are all growing well i really hope they grow like the one they came from weeping peach shrub

    if they do decide to grow weeping branches like the parent shrub is i'll have 8 of um heres a picture of 3 from the parent shrub.

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    I've read about the red bumps on maple leaves "jocelynpei" it said its nothing to really worry about so
    i go with that.

  • Konrad___far_north
    10 years ago

    I'm hoping we're staying with our far north cold zone 3/4.

  • runswithscissors
    10 years ago

    Several years ago I planted a necterine...something about biting into a fuzzy peach gives me the heebie-jeebies. The first year in the ground it grew quickly, but the winter then promptly killed it....(I thought). Next summer a "coppiced?" necterine sprouted from the base and has since turned into a very large shrub. I wonder if I'll ever get a necterine off of it, but I am quite fond of it as just an ornamental bush. I hope it doesn't turn back into a tree, but so far it doesn't show any inclination of doing that. I haven't noticed any peaches or necterine trees in our zone 5 valley of Montana.

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    runswithscissors i wonder why its not made any fruits yet.

    on here it says my zone is 6 but on my plant book it says zone 5 for my area of Indiana.

    i'll cover mine in the winter plus put something down around them so they will stay a bit warmer well i have a long time before i get any peaches from these shrubs or trees.

  • don555
    10 years ago

    There is supposedly a fellow in Winnipeg (zone 3a) who successfully grows peaches outdoors. He grows them espalier-style, pruning hard so the tree is dwarfed and grows flat along the ground. In winter he covers it with lots of snow for protection, then lets it do its thing and produce fruit in summer.

    There is also supposedly someone south of me in Alberta, in zone 2b I think, who successfully grows peaches in a greenhouse, unheated during winter. The downside to his method is terrible whitefly infestations in the greenhouse during summer.

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    but the ones i have. and the main peach shrub doesn't look like its been trimmed down any or at all some branches are up but alot of them are weeping over like a weeping willow tree.

    thats pretty bad don555

  • Konrad___far_north
    10 years ago

    >>thats pretty bad don555 No,.. I would say that's pretty good for zone 2/3

    Zone 5/6 comment's here don't really help us out much.

    This post was edited by konrad___far_north on Sun, Apr 7, 13 at 2:22

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    the whitefly infestations in the greenhouse during summer is pretty bad don555

    the plants are good konrad___far_north i was saying the whitefly infestations is bad

  • Collin001
    10 years ago

    Perhaps the obvious question to consider from this thread is, has anyone had success with the patio plantered dwarf varieties of peach that one can take out in the summer and put away in the winter? People do this with fig trees all the time. This would provide the best of both worlds and skip the green house angle at the same time.

  • CLBlakey
    10 years ago

    I have room in my garage to winter a peach I might just try that if I can get a tree cheap enough. I wonder if a wooden 1/2 barrel would be big enough for it?

  • Konrad___far_north
    10 years ago

    OK..Mike I get it, white flies in the greenhouse can be controlled.
    A new thread for container growing might be needed and yes,
    I do grow figs.
    Wooden barrel should be fine for a couple of years, the bottom might rot out and roots get in, perhaps lining with a tarp and poke some holes. Drill drain holes into the barrel.

  • runswithscissors
    10 years ago

    Have you ever seen those big plastic barrel-buckets with rope handles? They sell them at feed stores mostly, but I have seen them at K-mart before. They are waaay lighter than whiskey barrels, nice and tough plastic and so easy to drill holes in the bottom. They are brightly colored...which I think is ugly, but I'll bet a can of dark green or brown plastic paint could cure that problem. This might make a peach tree more "portable" if it's being brought in for the winter.

    Miller Nurseries sells a couple of peaches rated for zone 4...one of them is your reliance. But they sell some dwarf peaches too.

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    yeah i seen those before.

    i'll not be bring these back in the house this year i usually just start plants inside then plant them outside after the last frost so thats what i'll do with these peach trees/shrubs.

    im at zone 5.

    it's fine konrad___far_north

  • mike127
    10 years ago

    I've not had any dwarf peach trees unless the ones i have now are dwarfs.

  • CLBlakey
    10 years ago

    Thanks RWS those sound so much better than the heavy barrels. I did have clay pots when I was in Kamloops but they break here I only have 2 left but have to empty them each year. But those plastic barrels are a great idea and they're fairly cheap too.

  • valleyrimgirl
    10 years ago

    Someone from Steinbach, bamby_lee, is trying to find out more info about growing peaches in Manitoba, by an email to me thru Garden Web. The only problem is that they have their settings with Garden Web set so that no emails can be sent to them.

    If you want Cliff Glenn's phone number search Canada 411 and put his name and Brandon, MB as the location and it will come up with his name and phone number.

    If you want to talk to me by email, please change your settings so I can respond to you.

    Thanks, Brenda

  • mattpf (zone4)
    10 years ago

    I'm in Calgary and had two amazing genetic dwarf red empress peach trees last summer produce so many peaches they needed thinning. I over wintered them in pots in my window well along with a larger peach tree. Last year I also planted one in the ground that 95% died but stayed alive and shot out branches above the graft. It suckered like crazy also but I got rid of it. A couple weeks ago. It's quite amazing that that peach tree survived along my very hot south west facing fence in southern Alberta . Winters are pretty up and down. With proper protection I know they will survive.
    My three potted peaches I did not think about sunlight acclimation and put them from my window well to along my fence and roasted them. The buds were opening in my window well before I murdered them.

    The way to grow peaches is the same a grapes. They need to be covered and low to the ground. Their are only a handful of true genetic dwarf prunus perscia they don't grow taller than 4foot and could easily be covered in snow.
    The tough part is they need a southwest facing location to ripen the fruit and its very hard to keep the snow frozen until may when it'd be safe break dormancy.

    I'm currently trying genetic dwarf nectarines golden prolific. It's a white fleshed free stone. I have no problem getting fruit to ripen here its just finding a location to plant these trees is tough.

    There is a orchard in sask that grows normal sized peach trees but he grows them on the ground and covers up as explained above.
    One could do the exact same thing with the genetic dwarf peach/nectarine trees and have a cute little attractive tree instead of an ugly oblonged peach tree .

    Anybody else's thoughts??

  • Ivywild142
    10 years ago

    I would think genetic dwarf peaches could be buried in leaves and then covered on the top and sides with several layers of insulation. Keep it dry, and covered into mid April. They should be fine. I do this with figs and have overwintered lemons and mandarins. I have also done the same with many palms. The key is to keep them cool in the spring as long as possible to delay blooming until it is safe enough that a very hard freeze is unlikely. It is such a joy to have success with plants that "can't grow here. Another thought on the peach would to keep it as a bush and cover it with an insulated box. When temps drop below -4F/-20C use a small light bulb in the box. Hope it does not not reach -40F/C as I think it may be tough to keep temps above the -10F/-24C threshold for damage/dieback. My peaches er in Colorado Springs, CO are perfectly winter hardy, it is the late extreme cold spells that kill much of the crop. My contender peach fruited with a partial crop after spring freezes to +10F and +19F about 10 days later. Most other fruit trees had their fruit nearly wiped out. The 19F had sustained winds near 30mph all night adding to the penetrating freeze. Cheers to those that grow what can't be done.

  • Kat1esM0m
    9 years ago

    I am from Fort Wayne, IN, which is in the North-eastern part of the state. I bought a Contender Peach because it was said to be hardy for as cold as zone 4, and is self-pollinating. For the first three years I got plenty of blossoms, but only one or two random peaches. I usually pinched them off to give the tree energy to focus on growing larger and stronger instead of worrying about one or two peaches. Then two years ago, on the tree's fourth year with me, I decided I had to be missing something, so I looked up how to get a good crop of peaches, info on pollination, instructions on fertilization and spraying. Since then, I have had no trouble getting large crops of peaches from my tree. It usually blossoms before the appearance of bees or other insects, so I pollinate it myself. I get large crops of large and lovely peaches, provided I thin them out properly at an early stage. ( I don't really understand why everyone is so surprised that someone is growing peaches in Indiana, but it is possible.) Once I figured out that it wasn't getting pollinated properly in the beginning and took matters into my own hands, the tree exploded with blooms. The first crop two years ago was perhaps 50 or 60, and then last year I was able to get a sizeable crop from just one tree, and had enough to make canned peaches AND jam. I bought another tree this year. I would recommend that if you are in a colder climate zone, your tree most likely will blossom before the appearance of insects, so you may have to pollinate the tree yourself with a soft bristle paint brush (a small sable artist's brush works). Just rub the inside of the blossoms and it will transfer all of the lovely pollen to each bloom. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it! Good luck!

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago

    Kat1esM0m, that is good information regarding pollination and I am envious of your bounty of peaches :) .... now, if they would only be able to develop a reliably hardy zone 3 peach there would be many happy folks up here in the north.

    Terrance

  • ajetteaqua
    9 years ago

    Kat1esM0m, or anyone else growing peaches in zone 4, I would LOVE to get my hands on pits. They do not require any stratification, so they can be grown right away (I did last year).

    I have Donut peach seedlings so far, said to be moderately hardy (not sure if they made it through this harsh winter, but they were well protected under a thick layer of snow). And I did get some reliance cuttings I will try to graft, but seedlings coming from hardy plants would be much, much better! :)
    I am in Canada, but I did purchase apricot and peach pits from the US in the past and they made it through no problems. I'll cover any postal fees.

  • mattpf (zone4)
    9 years ago

    All peach seeds require stratification. I did many last fall. Some popped 3-4 weeks after some still are not . Same with apricot amd plum ,i have many little dwarf nectarine seedlings growing. Unfortunately 3 years in a row I've lost my peach trees so this year I've given up. Peaches cannot survive outdoors in calgary they cannot handle minus 35.
    Peaches need lots of sun to ripen fruit and early pollination which doesn't happen in Alberta easy. You can grow them low and cover but its a lot of effort.

  • ajetteaqua
    9 years ago

    I am not saying it would not work with stratification, but I had seen on the web you can get peaches to grow without the stratification period, so I tried it. And guess what, it worked just fine.
    Here is a video link of a guy whom tried it (ok, it is not the best video, but you get the idea) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nMQPOqO6v4
    I now have three seedlings grown that way.
    The technique: you just have to remove the pit from the shell and place them in a ziplock/container with a moist paper towel along with some peroxyde. Let it sit on a window still and after a few days, it starts to grow.
    Works with apricots too.

    This post was edited by ajetteaqua on Mon, May 5, 14 at 20:43

  • don555
    9 years ago

    There is an orchard in Saskatchewan in what I believe is zone 2 that has experimented with growing peaches and nectarines outdoors. Not sure if they are still doing this currently, but they did manage to get them to bear fruit in the past, although the amount of effort to set up a protective straw bale structure and so on seems vastly out of proportion with the minimal harvest. Still, it's an impressive accomplishment.
    http://overthehillorchards.ca/tour/photos/#!prettyPhoto

  • jonnymo11
    9 years ago

    I planted a Reliance two springs ago in May 2012. August/September 2013 i received about 20 spectacular peaches. My nieghbor has same tree about 15-20 years old with 100s of peaches every year. However, this year both our trees have about 3-4% leaves on them right now. we have buds all over the place but none of them are opening. We had one of the harshest winters in WI but my Lapine cherry tree is thriving. Is anyone else not having the buds open up on their peach trees this year or is only my nieghborhood?

  • tom2751 ( north of Saint Paul MN zone 4
    9 years ago

    My grandfather developed a method of growing peaches(any variety) in zone 4 as far back as the 30's. It is very labor intensive but can be worth it. Peaches are very fast growing tree and can be manipulated easy. This allows one to control the tree easily. Start by planting the tree at a 45 degree pointing north. The first winter the tree will be small and easy to tie up like a rose bush. Tie the tree to the ground and cover with hay. I usually do this the last week of October. It's also good to put some mouse poison with the tree so it will be there in the spring. Here in zone 4 I like to uncover the trees the first or second week of April. Trim off any limbs that may have died over the winter and any that cross or "crowd" the tree. You may have some blooms the second year but I disregard these. The end of the second season the tree will be large. The trick this fall is to tie the tree up again without breaking limbs. If you pruned properly you should have little problem. This fall since the tree is larger will take more hay to cover it. When you uncover the tree in the third spring it should be full of buds. If the spring is cold and you see no bees working the blossoms use a small paint brush to pollinate the flowers. I spray the tree when I spray the apple trees, but it is more important to spray in August to prevent peach bores.
    This is a quick "how to" but has worked for me when I would like to have a ripe preach.

  • pyrus0118
    9 years ago

    Tom2751, I live in Idaho as well and am intrigued by your grandfather's method for maintaining peach trees in cold climates. Would you mind sharing some pictures, if you have any, of planting and/or preparing them for winter? I'm a little confused on the 45 degree planting and subsequent pruning. Thanks!

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    In this link you can see how Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer grows them, [one way],....including sweet cherries etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Over The Hill Orchards - A Saskcess Story

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the very interesting video Konrad, I enjoyed it very much.

    Tom2751, years ago, I used the same "lean" technique and successfully wintered two young peach trees. Though, unfortunately, a bad hailstorm struck and pretty much destroyed them and the few fruits that had formed. But, I think I'll try again at my new location, the soil here should also produce better growth for peaches and 'Lapin' cherry I'm also considering.

  • tom2751 ( north of Saint Paul MN zone 4
    9 years ago

    pyrus0118(4b/5a), I cannot find any pictures of this procedure other than a few pictures of the trees in bloom or young fruit on the limbs. The reason for the 45 degree angle to the ground (vs.upright) is to be able to tie the tree to the ground. Once the tree is tied as close to the ground as possible I cover it with hay. Closer to the ground less hay used. I use old electric conduit and wide nylon straps for this "tying" procedure. I will be planting a few new trees this spring and will try to take pictures as I go. My current trees are too big to move and are in the wrong place, so I have let them go this year. Any other questions let me know - glad to help.

  • Sherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
    9 years ago

    You may want to try espalier too. Initially grow as a cordon only a few inches off the ground. train individual branches at your 45 degree angle.

    Part of this depends on the dying mode of peaches, it can be any of:

    * Cold. The plant can't pump enough water out of cells to keep the cells from rupturing. The minimum temperature is the key here.


    * Desiccation. The roots can't move water. The combination of sun and cold dries out the buds. The length of the winter, and the number of sunny days is the key here.


    * Timing. Some trees bloom too early, then lose all the blossoms to a late frost. Prunus generally are noted for this. Key here is to site the tree carefully so that it stays cold later into the spring. Try planting it on the north edge of a building shadow the week that is normal bud break for your area.


    Some plants have flower buds that are more tender than vegetative buds. I have a forsythia that blooms where it was covered with snow. So I try to bury it with the snowblower.

  • PRO
    gato construction
    8 years ago
    some peach varieties survive to -25F ...I had wonderful peaches for several years before an epic winter killed it. worth the effort a tree ripened peach is beyond your dreams for flavor. .sweetness. .and juicy!
  • mattpf (zone4)
    8 years ago

    How would one protect in winters that some times get to minus 35.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    8 years ago

    Yeah..here the far north in a mild winter like we had last it got down to minus 35C. -31F it can go down to minus 40C...-40F


  • mattpf (zone4)
    8 years ago

    They need to be grown on the ground low and covered in early fall here. In my most recent experience with peaches here is that the first real cold night kills them. Sometimes in sept it gets minus 10 here and can come on overnight . I just wondering about covering it while it's leafs are still green. I am back on this wagon growing peaches on my apricots ,also some genetic dwarfs and a pf-24c.

  • tom2751 ( north of Saint Paul MN zone 4
    8 years ago

    Has anyone tried the "zone 4" peaches some of the nursery catalogs advertise? I have and these trees will live through two winters. The third year the trees try to put on fruit and the trees do not make it through that winter. I feel after the tree fruits we do not have enough "fall", here in zone 4, to allow the tree to "harden off" as it needs to in order to survive the following winter.

  • Sherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
    8 years ago

    One thought is to plant them against a stone wall. Keep them espaliered lower than the wall height. Put attachment points in the top of the wall. In winter attach an insulated construction tarp to the points, and drape over you tree.

    Haven't done t his yet.


  • Sherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
    8 years ago

    Another thought is to find a compatible rootstock that tends to go dormant early. Bernie claims this is why pear on cotoneaster work. The cotoneaster forces the pear into early dormancy. I wonder if you could graft peach onto chokecherry?


    The research money in this focuses on commercial production. You want to maximize the number of peaches per acre. For the home grower, if you get a box or three of peaches off a tree, you have enough for fresh, and some for canning. So they likely haven't experimented with weird rootstocks.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    6 years ago

    Wondering...how is your peach crop?

  • tom2751 ( north of Saint Paul MN zone 4
    6 years ago

    Peaches were great this year. The spring was long and cold and the end of summer was dry, for me. I have one tree with peach bore. I will probably remove that tree. All the peach trees set fruit so I was eating peaches a long time this summer. The nectarine tree set two fruit and the japanese beetles ate so much of them I threw them away. I need to start training the trees to the stakes I will be tying them to. It looks like a long fall for me here so I will have a lot of time to do all this. Just hope I can find some cheap cover hay this year. I will spray more for the beetles next year as I think we will be overwhelmed with them. I tried to take picture of the covering process but the trees were small and it was hard to see the procedure. Maybe this year (if I think of it) I'll try to take pictures again.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    6 years ago

    Now it would be good to add hardy zone into your profile.

  • tom2751 ( north of Saint Paul MN zone 4
    6 years ago

    I am in zone 4

  • MR
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    (zone 4) I would suggest using a fruit wall and the espalier method. This method produced peaches in Paris during the "little ice age". A serpentine wall also helps to protect from cold winds. Imagine a terrace system with annual crops or grazing on the level areas and fruit production on the walls.

  • Sherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
    6 years ago



    For those of you seeking to implement this idea, a MUCH cheaper way than stone to implement the wall is to use used barrels:
    * Make a row of fence posts that are 5 feet above ground, and 2-4 barrel widths apart. These should be staggered so that the barrel line weaves in and out of the posts.
    * Put drainage holes in the barrels.
    * Place the bottom row so that posts are in the crack between barrels. Every barrel touches at least 1 post.
    * Weave fence wire through the posts and tighten so that each post is strapped to it's nearby post.
    * Fill with earth and rocks.
    * Notch the lower rim of the next row of barrels so that it will lock somewhat to the upper rim.

    * Place, strap and fill.
    * Smaller loops of wire on the strapping wires can be used for trellising.

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