Grow Your Own Fruit Trees Absolutely FREE! There is nothing like biting into a succulent, ripe, mouth-watering, just-picked peach. Even better when it is literally a part of the fruits of your own labor, from your own backyard, and you have an abundance of them. But you don't have to get a costly tree from the nursery to have this. All it takes is a taste contest, a hammer or a nutcracker or some other tool for hulling seeds from pits and a jar of water. Really. One of the easiest fruit trees to grow is the peach. It originates all the way back to China. Early Chinese writings mention them all the way back to the tenth century B.C. Europeans were first introduced to the peach through Persia. It's Latin name, persicum malum, literally means Persian apple. The Persians brought the peach from China and passed it on to the Romans. It was then brought to America by Spanish explorers. Today, there are at least 300 different varieties grown in N. America alone. This makes picking the kind of peach tree you'd like to grow a very tasty job. The best way to do this is to go to your local farmers market, or to a farmer in your area to get a variety that will grow in your local soil. You can also order peach seed varieties if you want, just be sure and check which zone you are in and compare it to the best suggested zone for the variety you want. Unlike a lot of other fruit trees, peach trees don't have to be cross-pollinated or grafted in. They just grow straight from the hulled seed. But to get the seed out can be kind of a trick. To the right are a couple videos to help you see how this is done. Basically you just want to take the pit from the best tasting peach you can find and crack it open with a little help from some tool. This can be a wrench, nutcracker, hammer, whatever you can use. Next you take the seed, which looks kinda like an almond (but DOES NOT taste like one...very bitter and full of cyanide, actually). Then drop the seed (or seeds) into a jar of water, seal it up and leave in the back of your fridge for three months. Try to remember it's there. When you go to take it out again it will have sprouted roots. Just take the root ball to the ideal place you've picked in your backyard and plant. Hint: best to plant in fall or winter months. If you've hibernated the seed properly in your fridge you can also plant in spring. Keep the area well watered for the next year or so to help establish the root system. In two to three years you will have a tree producing bountiful, delicious peaches.  |
How to select the best variety of peach: Our Hip Homemaker says she personally likes the Red Haven peach for it's heavenly flavor and juicy flesh, but there are other factors to think about besides taste. Do you want a pit that's easy to get out? Choose a freestone type. There are also cling types. The pit is harder to detach but they tend to have better flavor. Different varieties will also grow better in different parts of the country. It's important to check your zone. Most peaches will have some sort of a mark to the variety. This is in the type of rosy tone it tends to display. It has nothing to do with taste. Some very pretty peaches can actually be quite tasteless. The white peach, for example, looks big and juicy, but not much flavor. Others, like PF1, are very small and have specks on them, but pack a powerful flavor punch. But the best way to pick a peach for you is to taste a few and pick the one you like. This can be a lot of fun! |
