Difficulty
peaches require moderate to high effort to manage.
∙ disease resistant varieties
∙ in a moderately wet climate
Bloom
while they don't bloom as late as apples or sour cherries, they do bloom relatively late. There is a decent chance the hardiest varieties will frequently avoid frost damage in most of the country.
Ripens
70 to 150 days after bloom
Pollination
self-fertile
pH
Prefers slightly acidic soil (6.1 - 6.5)

Cold Hardiness



With the exception of the cold hardy varieties, peach trees can handle temperatures down to zone 5a (-15F to -20F), but their flower buds are only hardy down to -5F to -12F, depending on the weather of the previous few days.  Bud hardiness begins around -5F (zone 6b), but they develop a few extra degrees of hardiness, down to -12F, for every day the temperature is below 29F. If the temperature rises above freezing once again, even for just a few hours, the process restarts.

Cold hardy varieties may bear after experiencing zone 5a temperatures (-15F to -20F), but fruit set can vary widely.  The trees of some varieties have also survived zone 4 temperatures (somewhere between -20F to -30F).  Futhermore, most cold hardy varieties bloom late or have additional frost resistance to their flowers.


Disease and Pests



Brown rot is the most devastating disease that affects peaches.  It can ruin the entire crop in unfavorable weather when chemical control is absent.  Bacterial spot can also be a problem, but there are a number of varieties that are fairly resistant.  It should not be confused with peach scab, which is often quite minor on its own.  Peach leaf curl is a problem in areas that experience cool and wet conditions around the time the tree comes out of dormancy.  In high pressure regions, such as the Willamette Valley, most varieties may only last a few years before they die, and those that are considered resistant will also struggle (without intervention).  Peaches on standard rootstock are quite vigorous and often callus over areas infected with canker.  This is more likely to occur in warmer regions. 

The oriental fruit moth and the greater peachtree borer are the pests of most concern.  The oriental fruit moth behaves differently with peaches than they do with other stonefruit in that the first few generations feed on young shoots, which becomes apparent by the wilting leaves, otherwise they feed on the fruit.  The greater peachtree borer generally targets the first 6 inches of the trunk.  While they also feed on other species, they are particularly damaging to peaches due to their soft wood.  Vigourous trees will often outgrow the damage, but borers are occasionally responsible for their death.

Plum curculio may also be a cause for concern, but based on my observations, they are significantly less of a problem for peaches than they are for apples (deforms the fruit) and plums (drops the fruit), even in high pressure areas, but this may only apply to the northern strain, which only reproduces once per year.  Regardless, they can create entry points for pathogens later in the season as they feed on the fruit, which wouldn't pair well with a wet climate.  This hasn't been an issue for me, but the peaches here ripen when the average daily high is between 72F and 62F, which is, for the most part, low enough to inhibit brown rot growth.

Plum curculio are generally limited to the eastern half of the United States, and based on a map that is supposedly outdated, the southern strain, which reproduces twice per year, can be found south of Illinois and West Virginia (excluding the colder parts of the Appalachian mountains).  The claim is that the real boundary is a few hours north of this point.  I will have to update this later.


Rootstock



In addition to seedlings from the most cold hardy varieties — Bailey, Krymsk 86, and Siberian C are some of the hardiest rootstocks for peaches.  Guardian is also believed to be quite hardy.  The American plum (Prunus americana), which is the most tolerant of them all, can also be used for some peach varieties — such as Redhaven, Contender, and Saturn — but others may show signs of incompatibility and fail to thrive.  It has a semi-dwarfing effect and can likely be used to resist any significant damage from the greater peachtree borer, if the peach is grafted far enough above the ground.  However, the American plum has a strong habit of producing suckers.  Lovell is often implied to be fairly hardy as well, but it is likely not to the same extent as the others.

*A few sources may be added at a later date, as well as an update to this section, but much of the information provided here has not been well researched and generally comes from the experiences of various home-growers.




Read More

Peaches: Cold Hardy

Peach varieties listed here, particularly those rated for zone 5a, have demonstrated the ability to produce a decent crop after experiencing temperatures between -10F and -20F.   However, reports are very few in number for every variety except Contender, which consistently excels over those it has been compared to.   Contender is a must have for anyone attempting to grow peaches in zone 5, and it is best paired with a relatively hardy rootstock.   Those with "frost resistant" flower buds aren't necessarily hardy when it comes to winter lows, but based on the information that is currently available, they appear to tolerate, or avoid, late frosts better than most.

Baby Crawford

🔍
Discovered in Escalon, California.
Zone
• 5a
• 800 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
•    ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid-late
• 3 to 3.5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
• light fuzz
Afflictions
• At least somewhat susceptible to bacterial spot?

Carolina Gold

🔍
Biscoe x NC-C5S-067 (Encore x Calanda San Miguel 2383).  Originated in North Carolina, PP17780 (2004).
Zone
• 5
• 1050 chill hours
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant?
Ripens
🍑
• late
• 4 to 4.5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone, light fuzz
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Challenger

🔍
Redhaven x (Reliance x Biscoe).  Originated in North Carolina, PP12375 (1999).
Zone
• 5
• 950 chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early-mid
• 1 week after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

China Pearl

🔍
Contender x PI 134401.  Developed in North Carolina, PP11914 (1998).
Zone
• 5
• 900-1100 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• late
• 4.5 to 5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• white flesh
Fruit
• freestone
• low acid
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Contender

🔍
Winblo x NC64 (Summercrest x Redhaven)? Introduced in North Carolina (1987-1989).
Zone
• 5a
• 1050 chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid-late
• 3 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Growth
• upright growth
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Whether it comes to late frosts or winter lows, Contender is clearly the most consistent producer after an unfavorably cold weather event.  This ultimately makes it a very popular variety, and while the quality the peach is fairly good, there are better ones out there for the few in North America who do not benefit from this advantage.

Early Redhaven

🔍
bud mutation of Redhaven
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
•    ◦ somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early
• 2 weeks before Redhaven
Fruit
• semi-freestone

Encore

🔍
Consists of Autumnglo, Krasvynos, and White Hale in its parentage.  Developed in New Jersey, Introduced in 1980.
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• late
• 4.5 to 5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Encore peaches struggle to develop enough sugar often enough to be a concern.

Ernie's Choice

🔍
unknown parentage
Zone
• 5     ◦ 850 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
•    ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid
• 2.5 weeks after Redhaven
• short harvest season
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
• firm
• high acid
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Poor weather can cause Ernie's Choice to become too tart, otherwise it is reputed to have a very good and relatively strong flavor for those who prefer a good amount of acid with their fruit.

Frost

🔍
Zone
• 5
• 700 chill hours
Ripens
🍑
• mid
• roughly 1.5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• semi-freestone
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf curl.

Garnet Beauty

🔍
Bud mutation of Redhaven.  Introduced in Ruthven, Ontario (1958).
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early
• 1.5 to 2 weeks before Redhaven
Fruit
• semi-freestone
• light fuzz
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Harrow Diamond

🔍
Redskin x Harbinger.  Developed in Ontario.
Zone
• 5a     ◦ 850+ chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• very early
• 3 weeks before Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Growth
• medium vigor
Fruit
• semi-freestone
Afflictions
• Resistant to bacterial spot.  At least somewhat resistant to brown rot and canker.

Harrow Diamond may not produce the best tasting peaches, but it has a decent reputation for a variety that ripens this early.  Additionally, it is generally more tolerant of the cold, more disease resistant, and less vigorous than the alternatives that ripen around this time.

Indian Free

🔍
Alias
• Blood Free
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• very late
Ripens
🍑
• very late
• roughly 8 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• red flesh, tan skin
Fruit
• freestone
• high acid
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf curl.
Susceptible to bacterial spot.

Indian Free develops a unique flavor, but the grow season may not be long enough for it to ripen in most zone 5 areas, which is unfortunate, because it has supposedly performed quite well after experiencing zone 5b temperatures for a few people (at least on one occasion).

Intrepid

🔍
Redhaven x (Reliance x Biscoe).  Developed in North Carolina, PP12357 (1999).
Zone
• 5
• 1000+ chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid
• roughly 2 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Madison

🔍
Ideal x Redhaven.  Developed in Virginia (1963).
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid-late (late)
• 3.5 to 4 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone, light fuzz
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

PF 24C

🔍
Developed in Michigan.  PP15659
Zone
• 5
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid-late
• 3.5 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Growth
• medium vigor
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Polly

🔍
Originated in Iowa
Zone
• 5a
• 1000 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant?
Ripens
🍑
• mid
• 1 or 2 weeks after Redhaven
Color
• white flesh
Fruit
• freestone

Ranger

🔍
Zone
• 5
• 900 chill hours
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant?
Ripens
🍑
• possibly 1 week after Redhaven, but information is sparse and contradicting.
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Ranger is supposedly one of the more cold hardy, frost resistant peach varieties, but I can hardly find any information about it.

Redhaven

🔍
Halehaven x Kalhaven.  Introduced in Michigan (1940).
Zone
• 5a
• 800 chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
•    ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early-mid
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• semi-freestone
• semi-firm
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Redhaven generally ripens early to mid August in the northern half of the United States. 

Redhaven is compatible with the American plum rootstock (Prunus americana), as are a few other varieties mentioned in the "Read More" section.

Reliance

🔍
? x Meredith.  Developed in New Hampshire (1964).
Zone
• 5a
• 1000 chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early-mid
• 0 to 0.5 weeks after Redhaven
• drops when ripe
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Storage
• short shelf-life
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Reliance may not have as good of a reputation as most other varieties, but oftentimes, it manages to develop a good peach flavor.

Risingstar

🔍
Zone
• 5a
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early (early-mid)
• 1 to 2 weeks before Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• semi-freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot and canker.

There is some indication that Risingstar may prove to be one of the hardiest peach varieties available, but more experimentation is needed.  

This is currently the only image I have of a non-showy peach flower on this site.

Salish Summer

🔍
Discovered in Washington
Alias
• Q18
Zone
• 5
• 700-800 chill hours
Ripens
🍑
• early-mid
• roughly 1 week after Redhaven
Color
• white flesh
Fruit
• semi-freestone
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf curl.

Saturn

🔍
NJ 602903 x Pallas.  Developed in New Jersey, PP5123 (1982).
Zone
• 5
• 400 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• early     ◦ at least somewhat frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early-mid
• 0.5 weeks before Redhaven
Color
• white flesh
Fruit
• donut-type
• freestone
• light fuzz
• high sugar
• low acid
Afflictions
• Resistant to bacterial spot.

Saturn may lack flavor for some and tear at the stem when picked, but its high sugar content compensates for many.  It also appears to be hardier and (at least slightly) more flavorful than Galaxy, which is another donut peach that ripens about a week later, but Saturn is smaller in size by a fairly significant amount.

Siberian C

🔍
unknown parentage
Zone
• 5a
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍑
• late
Color
• white flesh with some green.
Fruit
• small-size
Storage
• short shelf-life
Afflictions
• Resistant to bacterial spot.  Somewhat resistant to leaf curl.

If there is anything that can compete against Contender when it comes to tolerance of the cold, it would probably be Siberian C, based on how well it performed against other (more unknown) varieties when tested in the past.  The problem is, information from home-growers about the hardiness of the tree is very difficult to come by.  Furthermore, I believe Siberian C generally refers to a strain rather than a specific selection, so some of these traits may vary a bit. 

Assuming the trees I have sampled from are Siberian C (as claimed), which I believe they are, they can have a good and rather unique flavor with a decent amount of acid for a white peach, but they are fairly small and have a short shelf-life.  Additionally, they were quite bitter during the first or second year they produced, but after that, there has been little to no bitterness.  Siberian C ripens in late September in my Dfb climate.

Surecrop

🔍
Zone
• 5a     ◦ 1000 chill hours
Flowers
• non-showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• early
• ~2 weeks before Redhaven
Fruit
• semi-freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

Surecrop is one of the hardier peach varieties, but its quality suffers often enough to be a concern.

Veteran

🔍
Early Elberta x Vaughn.  Developed in Canada (1928).
Zone
• 5a
• 900 chill hours
Flowers
• showy
Blooms
💮
• late     ◦ frost resistant
Ripens
🍑
• mid-late
• 3 (maybe 4) weeks after Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone or semi-freestone, heavy fuzz

Peaches: Notable Mentions

Nanaimo

🔍
Discovered in British Columbia
Ripens
🍑
• around Redhaven, according to one claim.
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to leaf curl.

In-spite of (supposedly) being one of the most resistant to peach leaf curl, Nanaimo is still at least somewhat susceptible in the climate experienced near the west coast.  In fact, it sounds like it has no actual resistance in much of the area due to exceedingly wet weather during spring, but a few people have supposedly had some success. 

I currently do not see much of a pattern that points to one curl resistant variety being superior to most others, but 'Oregon Curl Free' might have the edge.  Conversely, 'Mary Jane' apparently has less resistance than what was previously implied.

Red Baron

🔍
PP4195
Zone
• 6     ◦ 250-300 chill hours
Blooms
💮
• early
Ripens
🍑
• mid?
• at least 1 or 2 weeks after Redhaven, I believe.
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• freestone
• heavy fuzz
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to bacterial spot.

The Red Baron peach produces ornamental double red blossoms.

Rich May

🔍
Developed in Modesto, California (1991).
Zone
• 6     ◦ 800-900 chill hours
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍑
• very early     ◦ 5 weeks before Redhaven
Color
• yellow flesh
Fruit
• clingstone
• firm
Afflictions
• Somewhat susceptible to bacterial spot.

Rich May is one of the earliest ripening peach varieties.  While I am not sure how it compares to some of the best tasting varieties, it is known for being very good for a variety that ripens this early.  It is probably not appropriate for zone 5, though.