April 2008 - Growing Peaches in Minnesota
Who says you can’t grow peaches in Minnesota?
Yes, peaches can be grown in Minnesota!!!!
In New Hampshire in the 1950’s, Professor Elwyn Meader
was trying to develop a good tasting, cold-hardy
peach. He made thousands of crosses. One spring, after
a bitterly cold winter, one of Dr. Meader’s seedling
peaches bloomed and produced fruit. He named the new
peach ‘Reliance’.
I grew up in Connecticut and loved the peaches we grew
on our small dairy farm. When I moved to the colder
climate of Minnesota, I searched for a tree that we
could grow here. In the spring of 2001, my wife
Jennifer planted a ‘Reliance’ peach and a ‘Bailey
Hardy’ peach about 15 feet from the east side of our
house on the east side of St. Paul. Dave, my manager
at Nord Farm, Bailey Nurseries, told me that you CAN
NOT grow peaches in Minnesota. In the spring of 2002,
the ‘Reliance’ peach bloomed. The flowers were
fragrant and had an attractive, soft pink color. In
August, the tree produced a small crop. I picked some
peaches with leaves attached, brought them to Dave,
and collected on a $10.00 wager.
Our trees are planted in the front yard, on the east
side of our brick house, where it is a bit protected.
‘Reliance’ has excellent tree and bud hardiness. In
different catalogs, I have seen it listed as Zone 5 or
4. We provide no winter protection except for a light
mulch (to discourage weeds). It is perhaps the
hardiest peach, producing crops even after -25 degree
winters. Late blooming, it tends to escape the effects
of most severe frosts. We almost never water, although
in very dry summers slow trickle irrigation may be a
wise move. I have had minimal disease or insect
problems. One year, about 20% of the leaves had an odd
leaf curl – I think it was a bacterial problem, but I
did nothing about it and the tree and crop were fine.
The tree is self fertile; unlike apples, it does not
require a different variety (cross pollinator) nearby
in order to set a good crop. ‘Reliance’ bears young;
our tree produced a few fruits one year after
planting. A tree planted two summers ago at the
Nursery in Cottage Grove produced 20 fruits last year.
Our tree has produced good crops for six years; the
tree had over 100 fruit on it last year. The tree is
vigorous and fast growing. A few years ago, the
‘Reliance’ set a bumper crop. As the fruit was
ripening and the tree was heavy with fruit, a
windstorm snapped off the top third of the tree. Only
later did I learn that the fruit should be thinned
even more than we had. Since then, I have also learned
that peach trees should be pruned with a very open
center, much like putting your hands together and then
spreading the fingers apart as far as possible. The
fruit itself is freestone. It is medium in size
(nothing like those monstrous California peaches) with
light yellow, sweet, mild, and juicy flesh. There is
nothing better in this world than a tree ripened
peach, sweet and run-down-your-chin juicy. The ‘Bailey
Hardy’ took a year longer to produce fruit. It seems
to be just as hardy in my garden, but does not produce
the large number of fruits that ‘Reliance’ does. I
planted a ‘Contender’ in the back yard this past year
as a trial. Most members of the Prunus group are not
especially long lived, so I plan to plant another
‘Reliance’ this year to replace the current tree.
Since I feel so, So, SO bad about taking Dave’s
money, each year I present him with a small peach
offering with leaves attached. Dave tells me, “Joe,
that was the best bet I ever made in my life.” You
know, I think he’s right.
I cannot guarantee 100% success if you plant a peach,
but if you have a protected area in full sun, a peach
tree might be worth a try. Local nurseries do not
ordinarily carry peach trees, so you will have to
order by mail. The plant will be sent bare root. Most
nurseries will not ship bare root much after May 1, so
prompt ordering is essential. Sources of ‘Reliance’
peach include Henry Field’s (www.henryfields.com),
Miller Nurseries (www.millernurseries.com), Stark
Bro’s (www.starkbros.com), Gurney’s Seed and Nursery
Company (www.gurneys.com).
Happy Gardening,
Joe Baltrukonis
