Peach-Apricot-Nectarine

[veg4681]

I'd love to have these in my garden but I've always got the impression that they're difficult...to the point that you never really get much, if any fruits.

However according to Van Meuwen (for plants and fruit trees) when I checked recently, they claim they're now bred to 'work' with decent fruit yield.

I've had problem with my Victorian plum tree that never really gave me plums and when I heard that my neighbour never gets decent qty of plums, I felt forced to conclude that growing soft fruit trees are indeed very specialist area - or is it?

[pigletwillie]

Whilst Peach trees and nectarines have a reputation for "leaf curl" and other disease, position, protection and if required some manual fertilisation make them a very worthwhile tree. I will elt others who have these trees to comment further.

Apricots are even easier as they do not suffer from leaf curl and I have one, fanned on an East facing wall and one fanned but in a pot on the allotment. It is moved into the polytunnel to flower and is manually pollinated with an artists paint brush. After the frosts it is moved into a sunny but sheltered position to get on with life, and hopefully to give me some fresh Apricots to munch on. Other than feeding and watering, plus a little pruning they demand little in the way of attention.

[Protea]

I bought a dwarf patio nectarine and peach earlier this year, it was covered in blossom when i got it, and i asked lots of questions at the time as to hardiness etc. It is fully hardy, and although not self fertile the nectarine has actually set some fruit which are growing away nicely. The peach i gave to my Mum and unfortunately hasn't set ay fruit, but if i'd read the instructions properley i would have seen that we were supposed to bring it inside when in blossom and hand pollinate!

I've not had any leaf curl so far, althugh there was one suspect leaf which i quickly removed.

I'm hoping for a few nice nectarines to eat this year, and as the tree is tiny (about 2ft tall) its suitable for growing in a pot indefinately!

I think i've seen VanMeuven do nectarines/peaches as standards - i was very tempted, but this is even easier!

No experience with plums or apricots i'm afraid.

[SimonCole]

Our peach tree yields hundreds of peaches each year and we grow it as a standard in the middle of our lawn. It is massive and we have no obvious diseases. Pruning is a bit hard, but It's best not to think too much about it and just give it a go... However, the best advice I can give you is to let them go for at least the first 4 years, without pruning, unless you want a fan or something fancy. I cannot understand the logic behind mini trees because you make no profit, that is unless you have a patio garden.
If you could see the wheelbarrows of peaches we get then you plant one tomorrow!