Peach

Name: Peach
Scientific Name: Prunus persica
Family: Rosaceae

Soil: Well drained sandy soil.
Sun: Full sun.
Water: Water it often during spring and summer, cut back watering when leaves start to turn yellow and fall. Water occasionally in winter.
Fertilizer: I have found the Miracle Grow Fruit Tree Spikes are quite easy to use; thought I should fertilize mine a bit more often.
Care: A little after all the leaves have fallen, it is important to trim the tree before the flowers buds have developed, which starts in early spring every year. Cut back smaller branches that can’t support many full grown peaches.
Tips: Soon after flowering, start to pinch off some of the smaller fruit to help increase the size of peaches.

Description:

I believe the peach tree is one of the best adapted fruit tree in the area. The one on my backyard had been without water for many weeks before we purchased the house, but it still produced a whole basket of fruit when we moved in. It still reminds of me of the very first day we visited the house, my little nephews and nieces were running around, eating the freshly picked peaches off the tree. Aside from a few goatheads and other weeds, it was the only green thing in the backyard.

Each year earlier in the spring, before the leaves appear, pink blossoms adorn every branch of the peach tree. Once the flowers wither, bright green leaves sprout to life and the tree soon changes from pink to green. Hundreds of small hairy green peaches replace the flowers. As summer comes, these peaches grow bigger and bigger. By late summer, the branches are laden with large fruits. Some care must given during this time so the loads don’t become too heavy, or it would break the branches. I have lost several relatively thick branches because of it. I guess in the history of fruit trees, some not-so-natural selection has resulted in unbearably large and numerous fruit. Otherwise, I would end up with several hundreds of tiny little peaches.

Sometime in August, the peaches are ripe and ready to be picked. One must not wait too long or the birds will have their way with the best of the crop. They often only eat a small portion of each fruit, leaving a hundred damaged fruits. The peaches are golden orange with shades of red outside, and golden orange inside. When they are ripe, there are less hairs on their surface. The husk divides the peach into two equal halves, following the pattern of the husk, the peaches can be parted effortlessly. Even with skin and everything, they are juicy and sweet. Unlike most of the big peaches they sell in the grocery store that contain a lot of water and are somewhat sour near the husk, my peaches are sweet throughout.

Since there are so many of them each year, I end up making a lot of peach smoothies in the late summer.