Peaches are a delicious summer fruit that evoke images of warm climates and sunny orchards But is it possible to grow peaches in the cooler UK climate? The short answer is yes! With the right variety, location, and care, it is possible to grow peaches quite successfully in many parts of the UK.
Choosing a Suitable Peach Variety
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There are over 2000 peach varieties but only some are suitable for growing in the UK climate. Opt for varieties described as suitable for growing in the UK or northern Europe.
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Good UK peach varieties include ‘Peregrine’, ‘Rochester’, ‘Avalon Pride’, ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Garden Lady’ These tend to flower later, avoiding frost damage
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Dwarf or patio varieties like ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Garden Lady’ are ideal for growing in pots on a sunny patio.
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European or Canadian peach varieties tend to be more cold hardy than American or Australian ones.
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Self-fertile varieties will crop fine on their own. Avoid clingstone varieties.
Providing the Right Location
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Peaches need as much sunshine as possible to ripen properly, so plant against a sunny south or west facing wall or fence.
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Avoid frost pockets in the garden. Frost can damage peach blossoms in spring.
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Growing in a greenhouse or polytunnel can help provide extra warmth and frost protection.
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Dwarf patio trees can be grown in large pots on a sunny patio or balcony.
Prepare the Soil Well
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Peaches thrive in deep, fertile, well-drained soil. Improve native soil by digging in lots of organic matter.
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Incorporate some garden lime if the soil is very acidic. Peaches prefer a pH between 6 and 7.
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Take care to prepare the soil thoroughly when planting against a wall, as the bases of walls tend to be dry and lacking in nutrients.
Providing the Right Care
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Water regularly, especially when fruits are developing. Inconsistent water can cause fruit drop.
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Mulch annually with compost or manure to suppress weeds, conserve moisture and feed the soil.
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Apply a high potassium feed in late winter and when fruits are swelling.
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Prune in summer after fruiting to stimulate new growth.
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Protect blossoms from late frost using horticultural fleece. Potted trees can be moved under cover.
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Hand pollinate flowers if needed since peaches flower early.
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Thin developing fruits to improve fruit size and quality.
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Protect ripening fruits from birds/squirrels using netting.
Avoiding Pitfalls
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Lack of sun, too much shade, poor drainage or heavy soil can all lead to reduced harvests.
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Insufficient water during dry periods can cause premature fruit drop. Overwatering can cause split fruits.
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Peach leaf curl disease causes distorted foliage. It can be prevented by protecting trees from winter rains.
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Aphids, mites and bacterial canker may sometimes affect peach trees but can often be controlled organically.
Enjoying the Rewards
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With proper variety selection and care, it is possible to harvest buckets of delicious, juicy homegrown peaches from August to September.
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The flavor of a sun-warmed, tree-ripened peach fresh off your own tree is heavenly!
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Kids love picking and eating ripe peaches straight from the tree. It’s a fun, hands-on way to connect them with real food.
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Preserve abundant harvests by canning peeled peach slices in syrup or freezing sliced peaches for smoothies and baking.
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Nothing beats the pride and satisfaction of biting into a sweet, dripping, just-picked peach you grew yourself!
So don’t be afraid to give growing peaches a try, even in the UK! With the right variety and techniques, you can succeed in producing an abundant harvest of flavorful homegrown peaches.
How to harvest peaches
Peaches are ripe when they have coloured up and feel slightly soft. They should come off the branch with a gentle twist.
How to store peaches
Peaches bruise easily and don’t store well. You can freeze peaches, but when defrosted they should be used for cooking.
Like many stone fruits, peaches are susceptible to several pests and diseases:
- Peach leaf curl makes leaves puckered and distorted, which can make the tree weaker and less likely to produce well. This fungus-based sickness is spread by spring and late winter rain splashes. To keep the tree safe from splashes of rain, move potted trees inside and cover trees grown outside with polythene. Alan Titchmarsh gives tips in the video below on how to stop and control peach leaf curl.
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- A different fungal disease that gets into trees through wounds or cut stems is silver leaf disease. Watch out for dying branches and leaves that look like silver. Cut off any affected branches right away and clean your pruning shears to stop the disease from spreading.
- Bacterial canker makes the leaves get brown spots or small holes, and the shoots die back and the bark gets sunken and dead. If you can, cut off the damaged growth and clean your pruning shears afterward.
- Animals that eat aphids, like birds and wasps, should be left alone so that they can be eaten by those animals.
- Peaches grown in a greenhouse or conservatory can get red spider mites. This mite does best in dry places, so regularly misting will raise the humidity.
How to grow peaches in UK playlist. Tree from Blackmoor Nursery.
FAQ
Are peaches common in the UK?
Can you grow peach trees in Scotland?
Can You Grow Peaches in the UK?
In fact, there is a long history of growing peaches in the UK – you’ll often find glass ‘peach houses’ in the walled kitchen gardens of stately homes, where peach trees were fan-trained against the back wall to provide ‘exotic’ fruit before the era of refrigerated transportation.
Are peach trees hardy in the UK?
Peach trees are hardy in the UK (apart from the far north), but they blossom early in the year and are therefore vulnerable to frost. For the best chances of success you should therefore grow your peach tree against a south- or west-facing wall and fan-train it so its branches extend out to absorb as much of the wall’s heat as possible.
Can you grow a ripe peach in a garden?
A ripe peach picked straight from the tree is one of the juiciest fruits that can be grown in the garden. Peaches are best grown against a south-facing wall or in a pot on a patio. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity.
Can you grow a peach tree from seed?
Growing a peach tree from seed can be a fascinating project but, in the UK, you are unlikely to grow a tree that will yield fruit.
Can you grow a peach tree from a stone?
However, growing a peach tree from a stone is still a worthwhile and fun project, and can result in an attractive tree that bears beautiful blossom each spring. Halved peach with the peach pit exposed. Getty Images For the best chances of success, use a few peach stones, as some may not germinate as readily as others.
Can you grow peach trees in a greenhouse?
They can also be kept in an unheated greenhouse, for either all or part of the year when in a container. Peach trees are easy to plant, and this is best done while they are dormant, between November and March. Bare-root trees are only available during this period.