You’re a real peach!
Peach trees are easy to grow and even growing them from seed will produce fruit within 3-4 years.
Growing a single fruit has become time consuming as many people want more. More fruit on a single tree… Is that even possible?
Fruit Salad Tree
You can grow this in your own garden, if you already have a well established grafted fruit tree.
Now imagine walking to your peach tree and picking numerous different flavoured peaches from just that one tree.
This would be incredible, but certain rules have to be applied to the grafting. Peaches for instance are part of the Prunus family whilst apples form part of the Malus family. Therefore you cannot graft an apple tree with a peach tree.
Plums, apricots and peaches can all be grafted onto each other. Different apples have to go onto an apple rootstock which is the same for pears.
Start off with a grafted peach tree.
The next step would be to take cuttings from other peach trees. When you look at the cuttings from a branch you will notice that the inner tissue is green. This is the living part called the cambium.
Cuttings are normally done in winter as most trees are dormant. Because they are dormant the plant stops growing which means they require much less energy. You can keep cuttings refrigerated until spring in order to complete the grafting.
The best time is when the tree’s sap is beginning to flow. This will start to happen when you see new buds forming on the branches.
Methods of grafting;
From here you can just choose what grafting method you want and add all your different fruit tree cuttings onto your main rootstock. Just remember that this process to create a tree with many different fruits on will take some time and you cannot be hasty. Adding too many different cuttings onto a rootstock all at once will drain the energy from the rootstock and you may just be left with a dead tree. If this interests you, then plan it properly, starting off with some of our already grafted fruit trees. You can then add your different cuttings onto your favourite fruit tree. |
DID YOU KNOW?
The term, “you’re a real peach” originated from the tradition of giving a peach to the friend you liked..
The worlds largest peach is located in Gaffney, South Carolina. This peach weighs in at 4500kg. It is actually a water tower built in the shape of a peach. This was built in 1981.
The heaviest, edible peach weighed in at 816grams which was grown in Fort Valley, Georgia in July 2018.
You can ripen peaches by placing them in a brown paper bag for about 2 to 3 days.
Boland Peach
Boland peaches can be harvested in mid December. They are freestone peaches with a white flesh.
They are very sweet and juicy with a soft melting texture. The fruits are large round shaped with a green-white skin covered in an attractive red blush.
Culemborg Peach
Culemborg peaches can be harvested at the end of November. They are semi-clingstone peaches with a white flesh and red around the pip.
They are also very sweet and juicy with a melting texture. The fruits are medium, oval shaped with a green-white skin and heavily blushed red.
De Wet Peach
De Wet peaches can be harvested in late October. They are clingstone peaches with a yellow flesh that is reddish around the pip.
They are sweet with a slightly coarse, soft melting texture. The fruits are medium, oval to slightly oblong shaped with a distinct point.
Earligrande Peach
Earligrande peaches can be harvested late October. They are semi-clingstone peaches with yellow flesh and attractive streaks or blotches of red.
They are sweet with a peachy tartness as the flesh has a firm, fine and melting texture. This peach is packed full of flavour. The fruits are medium to large but slightly oval with a point.
Elberta Peach
Eleberta peaches can be harvested from mid January. They are free stone peaches with a blushed dark red colour on the yellow skin.
They are delicious, sweet with a hint of tartness and the flesh is coarse with a melting texture. The flesh is yellow but distinctively red around the pip.
Goudmyn Peach
Goudmyn peaches can be harvested in late November. They are clingstone peaches with a smooth, hairy golden skin.
These have a good taste but work very well for canning, cooking, preserves and jams. The flesh is golden yellow with a non-melting texture.
Kakamas Peach
Kakamas peaches can be harvested by mid February. They are clingstone peaches with a yellow skin.
These peaches are also great for canning as they also have a good taste. The flesh is yellow with a firm texture.
Keisie Peach
Keisie peaches can be harvested in early January. They are clingstone peaches.
The flesh is golden yellow with a non-melting texture. The fruits are large, rounded with smooth, hairy golden yellow skin.
Oom Sarel Peach
Oom Sarel peaches can be harvested in mid December. They are clingstone peaches with a smooth and hairy outer skin.
These are succulent and very tasty and the flesh is a dark yellow colour. They have a fine, firm and non melting texture. The fruits are large, round and golden yellow in colour.
This is one of the best yellow peaches to have in your garden.
Prof Malherbe Peach
Professor Malherbe peaches can be harvested in late November. They are clingstone peaches with a smooth hairy outer skin.
They have a good taste with a fine, firm non-melting texture. The fruits are large and round with a golden yellow colour.
Safari Peach
Safari peaches can be harvested from early December. They are free stone peaches with an orange-yellow skin, blushed red on the cheeks.
They have a delicious delicate taste with a melting slightly coarse to soft texture. The fruits are large, round to oblong shaped with a slight point. The flesh is yellow but red along the stone.
San Pedro Peach
San Pedro peaches can be harvested in early November. They are clingstone peaches with a blushed red colour over the yellow base.
They have a good slightly acidic taste with a fine melting texture. The fruits are medium sized and slightly oblong with a distinct point. The flesh is a light yellow colour.
Snowcrest Peach
Snowcrest peaches can be harvested end December to early January. They are freestone peaches with a red blush over the green background.
They are very sweet with a creamy coloured flesh, and a firm melting texture. The fruits are medium sized, round to oblong shaped with a slight point.
Summersun Peach
Summersun peaches can be harvested from late November. They are clingstone peaches with a light yellow hairy skin.
They have a good taste with a light yellow coloured skin and a fine, firm non-melting texture. The fruits are large and rounded
Whether you enjoy the firm yellow, the soft orange or even creamy white textures, peaches are just delicious. If you want to can them, dry them or simply just cook with them, there are certainly some varieties that will appeal to you.
But if you have the time and want to create that fruit salad tree, then start off with a few varieties from our selection. Peach trees are easy to grow and will bear lots of fruit in the near future.