How to grow Peach
Updated October 2026
Peaches are quick to bear, often the spring after planting, and give delicious tree-ripened fruit, but they are short-lived trees that need yearly pruning and, in most of the country, a spray program. The key choice is a variety whose winter chill need matches your climate: low-chill types for Florida and the Gulf Coast, high-chill types for the North.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Peach
Not to be confused with: Nectarines are the same species as peaches, just without the fuzz, and are grown the same way.
Where to plant
Plant peaches in full sun on well-drained soil; trees standing in water can die in as little as three days. Avoid frost pockets, as the early flowers are easily killed by late frosts. Peaches prefer a soil pH of about 6.0 to 6.5.
Peaches need a set number of winter chill hours, roughly the hours between 32 and 45°F, to flower and fruit properly. Choose a variety whose chill need matches your area: too little chill gives poor, late flowering, and too low a need risks early bloom and frost damage.
- North and Central Florida: plant low-chill University of Florida varieties. UF/IFAS now suggests varieties needing about 300 chill hours or less, as Florida winters have been milder. Peaches can be grown as far south as about Fort Myers with very low-chill types.
- The Gulf South, Texas and Southern California: choose low to moderate-chill varieties suited to your area.
- The Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, Southern Plains and Northern California: standard varieties do well; NC State recommends varieties needing at least 750 chill hours there.
- The Northeast, Midwest, Mountain West and Pacific Northwest: plant cold-hardy, late-blooming varieties in a site with good air drainage.
Choosing a variety
| Region | Example varieties |
|---|---|
| Florida (low chill) | 'Flordacrest' and 'Flordadawn' are non-patented melting-flesh peaches suited to North Florida; 'UFSun', 'UFBest', 'UFOne' and 'UF2000' are firm, non-melting types |
| Southeast (high chill) | NC State recommends 'Redhaven', 'Contender', 'Cresthaven', 'Carolina Gold', and white-fleshed 'Carolina Belle' and 'China Pearl' |
Peaches are self-fruitful, so one tree will crop. In Florida and sandy Southern soils, buy trees on nematode-resistant rootstock, such as 'Flordaguard' in Florida or 'Guardian' on sandy soils in the Carolinas.
How to plant
- Test the soil and lime if needed, working amendments in well before planting.
- Plant a dormant tree in late winter at the same depth it grew in the nursery, 18 to 20 feet from other trees.
- After planting, cut the young tree back to begin an open-center shape.
- Water in well and keep the soil moist through the first season.
Watering and feeding
Water young trees regularly. Established trees need deep watering in dry spells, especially while fruit is swelling, but never waterlogged soil.
Feed according to a soil test. Too much nitrogen gives lush, soft growth at the expense of fruit.
Pruning and care through the year
- Train to an open center, or vase: remove the central leader and keep three to five main limbs growing outward and upward at about 45 to 60 degrees, so light reaches the middle of the tree.
- Prune every year in late winter. Peaches fruit on the previous summer's shoots, so pruning keeps new fruiting wood coming.
- Thin fruit by hand from bloom up to about 40 days after bloom, leaving about 6 to 8 inches between fruit, for larger, better-quality peaches.
- In most regions a regular fungicide and insecticide program is needed for clean fruit. Your county extension office can advise on timing.
- Peach seeds and wilted leaves are poisonous to people and animals; discard pits and clear fallen wilted leaves where pets graze.
Harvesting
Peaches ripen from April and May in Florida to June through October farther north, depending on variety. The best sign is the ground color, the color on the shaded side, changing from green to yellow or white, along with slight softening and the fruit swelling evenly on both sides of the seam. Tree-ripened fruit is sweetest; peaches soften after picking but do not get sweeter.
Ripe peaches keep about two weeks at 31 to 36°F with high humidity.
Companion planting
Peaches need sun and good air movement. Keep grass and weeds back from the trunk and avoid crowding them with other trees.
Good companions
- Chives A low perennial for the edge of the bed that does not compete much.
- Garlic Can be grown around the edge of the tree; there is little firm evidence for pest control.
- Nasturtium A low annual whose flowers draw pollinators.
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to peach.
- Tomato Traditional advice keeps tomatoes and potatoes away from stone fruit.
- Potato Traditional advice keeps tomatoes and potatoes away from stone fruit.
- Tansy (a strong-smelling herb said to deter some insects. Common tansy is a listed noxious weed in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Wyoming and is toxic if eaten, so do not plant it in those states, and elsewhere keep it contained, away from children and animals)
Pests and diseases
Peaches attract many pests and diseases. NC State notes that peach tree borer, plum curculio, oriental fruit moth, mites and aphids are common, and late frosts often destroy the flowers.
Pests to watch for
- Borers Gummy ooze mixed with sawdust at the base of the trunk from peachtree borer larvae.
- Scale Crusty bumps on bark that weaken limbs.
- Aphids Curled new leaves with clusters of insects in spring.
- Root-knot nematodes Stunted trees on sandy soils; use nematode-resistant rootstock.
Diseases to watch for
- Brown rot Soft, brown rot spreading through ripening fruit, which shrivels into mummies.
- Peach leaf curl Thick, puckered, red-tinged leaves in spring; prevented by a fungicide spray while the tree is dormant, before buds swell.
- Bacterial canker Sunken, gummy cankers on branches and trunk, and branch dieback.
Common questions
What are chill hours?
Peaches need a set number of winter hours, roughly between 32 and 45°F, to break dormancy and flower well. Low-chill varieties for Florida need a few hundred hours; northern varieties need 750 or more. Pick one that matches your area.
Which peach should I plant in Florida?
A low-chill University of Florida variety. UF/IFAS suggests non-patented 'Flordacrest' and 'Flordadawn' for North Florida, and now recommends varieties needing about 300 chill hours or less.
Do peach trees need a pollinator?
No. Peaches are self-fruitful, so a single tree will set fruit.
How do I prune a peach tree?
Train it to an open center with three to five main branches, and prune every year in late winter so it keeps growing the young shoots that bear next year's fruit.
Why should I thin peaches?
Trees set far more fruit than they can size. Thinning by hand to about 6 to 8 inches apart within 40 days of bloom gives bigger, better fruit and protects branches.
How long does a peach tree live?
Peaches are short-lived. UF/IFAS says a well-cared-for home tree in Florida can be expected to fruit for about 8 to 10 years.
Sources we checked: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Peaches; UF/IFAS EDIS: Florida Peach and Nectarine Varieties (MG374); NC State Extension: North Carolina Production Guide for Smaller Orchard Plantings; NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Prunus persica.
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