Before you decide to grow peach trees at home you need to be aware that to do so is a commitment. Peach trees are often susceptible to insect infestation and disease, so unless you are willing to do what is required to help your peach tree grow and thrive, you might be better off seeking your fresh peaches from the local farmers market. Some common peach tree pests include:
- stink bug
- oriental fruit moth
- peach tree borers
- Japanese beetle
- June beetle
The sheer number of potential pests makes it almost a requirement to have a proactive pest management program in place when you grow peach trees at home.
Selecting a strong peach tree cultivar that will thrive in your growing zone is imperative. Peach trees are highly susceptible to frost, so you will need to bear this in mind when selecting a cultivar. If your area is frost-prone, be prepared to protect young, fragile trees and blossoms should a late season cold snap threaten your crop.
Select a location that gets full sunlight, little-to-no shade is important, as has a good quality sandy-to-loamy soil content. In a perfect world you would spend a season or two preparing the soil so that it has time to settle and balance itself prior to planting.
When you plant a new peach tree sapling, it is best to prune it into a whip. That means that you remove all lateral branches leaving just the main trunk, and cut that back to about 30” in height. Though this sounds extreme, it allows the new tree to focus its energy on growing solid and sturdy. An established tree will add about 18” of new growth each year.
Thinning of peach trees can be important in good growth years because they can produce too much fruit that may cause limb damage in the long run.