So we've done posts on strawberries, apples and plums ... now it's the turn of the peaches. Yes I did say peaches. In Ireland! Three years ago I planted a peach tree in the polytunnel and wondered how it would fare. I wondered if the flowers would pollinate because I'd been told the flowers arrive earlier than our Irish pollinated insects fly, I also wondered if the fruit would set, if the fruit might get mouldy from the heat of the tunnel, if it would ripen on time because our season is short, if the tree would be too big for the tunnel etc etc etc. Well I planted it anyway just to see. If you don't try you don't know.
In the second year I aided the pollination of the flowers with a paintbrush and there was subsequently a crop of five peaches. They were fluffy, red, juicy, sweet and truly delicious. I wondered if perhaps it had been a year particularly favourable for peaches. This year I forgot to interfere with the paint brushes when the flowers came but despite that the branches of the little tree were creaking under the weight of hundreds of little peaches by mid summer.
I rummaged through my Fruit Tree Expert book and followed the advice to remove a majority of the fruits so that the remaining peaches have a chance to fully develop. The resulting crop was amazing, I'd estimate a hundred ripe fruit there for the picking by the end of the summer. If there's a similar result next year I think peach jam or even schnapps might be on the cards.
The peaches look great, when do they bloom? when we were in Spain it was around February,cropping Sept to Oct.What variety are yours and where did you buy the tree, now we are back in Ireland would love to give it a go in the tunnel.
Posted by: Anne Wilson | October 22, 2011 at 07:09 PM
Those peaches look amazing, fair play to you. I have a load of onions that need to be used up... can one make schnapps form onions?
Posted by: Val | October 28, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Lovely post and I love the pictures! keep them coming I thourghly enjoyed it
Posted by: Tree surgeons London | November 23, 2011 at 09:31 PM
Lovely looking peaches, can you share the variety name please?
Posted by: Tom | December 05, 2011 at 03:34 PM
Impressive blog! -Arron
Posted by: rc helicopter | December 21, 2011 at 01:16 PM
I love peaches!!! I'd give anything just to have these tasty fruits.
Posted by: writers job | January 18, 2012 at 02:32 PM
good god those are some big peaches lol
Posted by: Tree Surgeons in Milton Keynes | January 27, 2012 at 11:07 AM
Now all I want to do is eat a large bowl of peaches lol
Posted by: Tree Surgeons in London | February 01, 2012 at 09:44 AM