There is no doubt at all that the best time to plant is November, and the earlier the better.Bush-shaped trees are best bought as two-year-olds but fan trees may be three years old.
There is no doubt at all that it does not pay to disturb the roots of peaches regularly. Therefore, one must sow the land down to grass quite early, especially as this fruit seems to make the least demand (of any grown in this country), on the soil water. Peaches can undoubtedly be grown on the straw mulch system as advised for blackcurrants or in small gardens could just be mulched with sedge peat, say, as far as the branches spread.
This will undoubtedly mean pruning back into the two-year- old wood. The one-year-old shoots themselves will also be reduced by about half to an upward pointing bud. If the tree is properly mulched and the ground is in good heart it should throw out plenty of nice young shoots which in their turn will be pruned the following April. Each year, in April, the idea is to cut out the older hardwood so as to encourage the production. of plenty of young growths on which the fruits are borne. The centre of the bush will be kept open and the sides will be thinned out.
Having removed the strong one-year-old laterals, and all the twoyear-olds, the remaining short one-year-old laterals are thinned out so as to give even distribution of peaches over the whole length of the main stem. This usually means leaving, on a 12-feet-high tree, about thirty laterals, 1 feet to 15 inches long.
It is true that there are aphides which will curl the leaves and damage the blossoms, but these can easily be controlled by spraying the trees with a 5 per cent solution of a tar- oil wash in December. This will also kill Peach Leaf Scale, should this appear. Red spider sometimes does damage, causing the leaves to turn brown in the summer, but spraying with liquid derris overcomes the trouble very quickly. The big trouble is the Peach Leaf Curl, which causes the leaves to become swollen, red and twisted.
The peach which has been most successful with out of doors is Peregrine, though Rochester is quite a good second. Some popular peach varieties are Amsden June. An American variety which does not ripen in this country until mid-July. More suited for a wall than for planting in the open. Bears creamy white fruits of medium size with a crimson to purple flush. Flavour good but the stone seems to cling to the flesh until it is fully ripe. If a butter-muslin bag is put over each fruit, the peaches can then fall into the bag when fully ripe, and then they are of good flavour. Season mid-July; Bellegarde. I grow this on a wall and it is a very fine flavour but it does not ripen, at Thaxted, until late in September, though in some areas it is ready early that month; Duke of York. I had not grown this at Thaxted but it does well out of doors at Sawbridgeworth when grown by Mr. T. H. Rivers. It makes a large tree-the fruit is melting and refreshing. The peaches are of a rich crimson, if the foliage does not shade them. Season Aug; Hale's Early. Another American peach which is very attractive when grown, but which is sometimes too small even when thinned. Season Aug; Rochester. Does well in Kent. It ripens in the middle of August, producing good-size fair fruits of yellow-fleshed quality. Season mid-Aug; Peregrine. The best of the varieties for out of doors. Is generally free from disease, produces large brilliant crimson fruits, with delicious juicy firm flesh. Season early Aug. - 16035
There is no doubt at all that it does not pay to disturb the roots of peaches regularly. Therefore, one must sow the land down to grass quite early, especially as this fruit seems to make the least demand (of any grown in this country), on the soil water. Peaches can undoubtedly be grown on the straw mulch system as advised for blackcurrants or in small gardens could just be mulched with sedge peat, say, as far as the branches spread.
This will undoubtedly mean pruning back into the two-year- old wood. The one-year-old shoots themselves will also be reduced by about half to an upward pointing bud. If the tree is properly mulched and the ground is in good heart it should throw out plenty of nice young shoots which in their turn will be pruned the following April. Each year, in April, the idea is to cut out the older hardwood so as to encourage the production. of plenty of young growths on which the fruits are borne. The centre of the bush will be kept open and the sides will be thinned out.
Having removed the strong one-year-old laterals, and all the twoyear-olds, the remaining short one-year-old laterals are thinned out so as to give even distribution of peaches over the whole length of the main stem. This usually means leaving, on a 12-feet-high tree, about thirty laterals, 1 feet to 15 inches long.
It is true that there are aphides which will curl the leaves and damage the blossoms, but these can easily be controlled by spraying the trees with a 5 per cent solution of a tar- oil wash in December. This will also kill Peach Leaf Scale, should this appear. Red spider sometimes does damage, causing the leaves to turn brown in the summer, but spraying with liquid derris overcomes the trouble very quickly. The big trouble is the Peach Leaf Curl, which causes the leaves to become swollen, red and twisted.
The peach which has been most successful with out of doors is Peregrine, though Rochester is quite a good second. Some popular peach varieties are Amsden June. An American variety which does not ripen in this country until mid-July. More suited for a wall than for planting in the open. Bears creamy white fruits of medium size with a crimson to purple flush. Flavour good but the stone seems to cling to the flesh until it is fully ripe. If a butter-muslin bag is put over each fruit, the peaches can then fall into the bag when fully ripe, and then they are of good flavour. Season mid-July; Bellegarde. I grow this on a wall and it is a very fine flavour but it does not ripen, at Thaxted, until late in September, though in some areas it is ready early that month; Duke of York. I had not grown this at Thaxted but it does well out of doors at Sawbridgeworth when grown by Mr. T. H. Rivers. It makes a large tree-the fruit is melting and refreshing. The peaches are of a rich crimson, if the foliage does not shade them. Season Aug; Hale's Early. Another American peach which is very attractive when grown, but which is sometimes too small even when thinned. Season Aug; Rochester. Does well in Kent. It ripens in the middle of August, producing good-size fair fruits of yellow-fleshed quality. Season mid-Aug; Peregrine. The best of the varieties for out of doors. Is generally free from disease, produces large brilliant crimson fruits, with delicious juicy firm flesh. Season early Aug. - 16035
About the Author:
If you plan your garden properly, even in a small garden it is possible to be self sufficient to fairly large degree.
