How to grow peach trees in Perth

There is nothing better than a fresh peach and to me a peach is the perfect summer snack! Crunchy, juicy and full of flavour, these tasty stone fruits can be eaten straight from the tree, added to desserts, muesli or even summer salads.

If you have ever wondered how to grow peach trees in Perth then look no further. Peach trees are a simple fruit tree to grow, but there are still a few tricks to successfully growing peach in Perth, Western Australia. Get these right and you will be laughing.

When to plant peach trees in Perth:
Best is to plant your peach tree is March – May. However you can also plant your peach tree in spring or summer but regular watering is a must.

Types of peach trees in Australia:
Peaches belong to the Rosaceae family, with apricots, nectarines, plums, cherries, and almonds joining the cluster of stone fruits.

Traditional Peaches These traditional varieties are self-fertile and grow into attractive rounded trees to 3-4m x 3-4m.

• Crimson Rocket Peach – A unique new variety with a naturally narrow and upright growth habit. Produces medium-sized, yellow fleshed, freestone, juicy, sweet fruit, perfect for dessert. Ideal for growing in pots. Matures mid-January.
• Double Jewel Peach – Produces double pink flowers in spring followed by good flavoured, yellow fleshed, freestone fruit with red-blushed skin. Matures late December.
• Flordagold Peach – Produces large, clingstone fruit with light red over yellow skin and juicy yellow flesh. Matures mid-December.
• Peacharine Peach – A Peach/Nectarine cross producing large, freestone fruit with smooth red blushed skin and yellow juicy flesh. Matures mid to late January.
• Tasty Zee Peach – Produces very sweet, rounded, medium-sized, white fleshed, freestone fruit with highly coloured, dark red skin. Matures mid to late January.
• Tropic Beauty Peach – Produces large red to pink skinned, clingstone fruit with yellow flesh. Matures mid-December. Good low chill variety well suited to the metro and coastal areas.
• Tropic Snow Peach – Produces large to medium, firm, white-fleshed, freestone fruit with pale pink blush over green skin. Good flavour. Matures early-mid December.
• White Opal Peach – Medium-large, rounded red blushed fruit. Sweet, white fleshed, clingstone fruit. Matures Late December-early January. Good low chill variety, suitable for coastal areas. May require fruit thinning

Dwarf peaches Perth:
These are the common varieties of dwarf peach trees you can find in Australia:

• Dwarf Flordagold Peach – Produces large, clingstone fruit with light red over yellow skin and juicy yellow flesh. Matures mid December. Grows to 1-2m high.
• Dwarf Golden Queen Peach – Famous canning and bottling variety. Golden skin and flesh colour. Clingstone. Height and width to 1.5-2m. Late season maturity, March-April.
• Dwarf Sunset Peach Peach – Produces double pink flowers in spring followed by full sized, white fleshed, freestone fruit. Maturing late November to early December. Grows to 80cm in height and width.
• Valley Red Dwarf Peach – Produces medium-sized, yellow fleshed, freestone fruit with red-blushed skin. Matures early March. Grows to only 2m high.

How to grow peach trees at home:
Growing peach trees at home is easy, fun and rewarding! Below are the steps on how to how to grow peaches in Australia;

1. Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil to plant your peach tree. Enrich the soil with a high quality soil improver. If the soil is clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.
2. Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub peach from the pot, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
3. Position in hole and back-fill, gently firming down. Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it’s needed most. Water in well.
4. Mulch around the base with organic mulch like pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.
5. Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.
6. Feed your tree in autumn and late summer with a Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver and Plant Fertiliser.
7. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with a citrus Liquid Plant Food to help promote fruit production.

How to grow a peach tree in a pot:
Peaches can be grown in pots, at least 60cm wide and deep, to allow the roots to spread. There are a number of dwarf peaches varieties available and most varieties can also be grown in pots.

1. Choose a pot at least 60cm wide. Position in full sun and fill with quality potting mix.
2. Remove the shrub from the pot gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
3. Position in hole and back-fill, gently firming down. Water in your peach well.
4. Mulch with an organic mulch, such as wood chips or pea straw ensuring to keep it away from the trunk.
5. Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.
6. Feed your tree in autumn and late summer with a Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver and Plant Fertiliser.
7. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with a citrus Liquid Plant Food to help promote fruit production.

Planting a peach tree from seed:
You may happen to have sweet and juicy peaches and would like to harvest fruit of the same quality. If you want to be rewarded with fresh peaches from your own garden, simply follow these tips on how to grow an peach tree from seed:

1. Crack open a peach pit and remove the kernel using a hammer or a nutcracker. The seed germinates faster when the pit’s outer shell is removed so I recommend doing this, although you can plant the entire pit.
2. Place the peach pit kernel into a plastic ziplock bag. Fill the bag with slightly moist potting soil. Seal the bag.
3. Place the plastic bag in your fridge. The refrigerator induces the seed’s germination process through cold stratification, a method of cold treatment.
4. Germination can take two to three months. Once the pit has grown roots at least 1cm long, remove the pit from the refrigerator.
5. Plant the peach seedling in a pot. Keep the seedling in a sunny location and provide enough water to keep the soil moist. Move it outdoors in spring after the last frost has past.

How to prune a peach tree:
Peaches can be pruned in a couple of ways. They can be given an all over trim, with each branch reduced by a third to a half. The other option is to shorten lateral branches only (those growing laterally from main branches), leaving the main branches in tact.

When to harvest peaches:
If you are wondering when to pick peaches in Australia. They are a summer fruit and typically ready to harvest between November and February.

Storing peaches at home:
When peaches are firm to the touch and lack their signature sweet fragrance, they need a few more days to ripen before they’re ready to eat. Until then, the best place to store them is on the counter at room temperature.

Ripe peaches are best when eaten straight away, but if you have more than you can eat in a single sitting, stash them in the refrigerator for up to a couple days. The cool temperature slows down ripening and prevents the peaches from quickly spoiling.

Best peach varieties for cooking:
The best peaches for baking are freestone peaches. Peaches fall into three categories: freestone, clingstone, and the semi-freestone hybrid. The categorisation is a description of how the pit clings to the fruit’s flesh.

Freestone peaches are those gems you bite or cut into and the pit falls right out. They can be yellow or white. If you’re making a peach dessert that requires pitting a lot of fruit, like a pie, or crumble, this variety is best because of how easy it is to remove the pit. They’re also ideal for baking since they’re typically a bit larger and less juicy than clingstone varieties.

Companion plants for peaches:
There are a few plants that stand out as particularly helpful for peach trees.  The best companion plants for peach trees are garlic, legumes , onions and asparagus from an edible point of view.

Peach tree care and common problems:
Birds are one of the major problems you will face. The answer to this is to net securely, taking care not to bend the branches, or to pick the fruit a little before it is fully mature and ripen it indoors in a single layer on trays. Small insects like earwigs and garden weevils can be a nuisance and are responsible for small holes in the fruit. Treat as needed with a natural repellent.

Check out our other how to grow in Perth guides:

• Growing apricot trees in Perth
• Growing plum trees in Perth
• Best fruit trees to grow in Perth