First peach

[grahamhobbs]

Had my first peach today off our tree and there are still about 50 more left on the tree. This is amazing, the squirrels normally destroy everything before it gets ready to pick, just hope I haven't spoken too soon and I go back there tomorrow and they've all dissapeared.

[MKG]

You shouldn't have said anything, Graham. Squirrels read this board too, you know

Mike

[Hernaic Tom]

Once when I was working in a garden centre, I picked and ate a ripe peach from a dwarf tree and it was delicious!!!

There is a massive difference between these and those you get from supermarkets!

[pelmetman]

I guess that's one advantage of living in London, you get a micro climate suitable for growing peaches


I still rather be in the sticks

Dave

[Millymollymandy]

Mine all have brown rot this year, it's so disappointing as even my tree in the veg patch has it, and we've had more rain than usual in August and they are big this year! Oh well at least my tiny fruited too dry 'peach on the beach' looks healthy (cross fingers) even if they are a bit furry due to being the size of golfballs!

[oldfella]

We have bottled them, jammed them, ate them, given them to the geese and Chickens, so' PLEASE if any of you want Apples, Pears, Figs, Plums, on yer bikes and get down here, they are all free, as in this area we've a glut of fruit, and it rotting on the trees

[Millymollymandy]

Our plums are long over but they nearly all had brown rot too. It happens most years here unfortunately and mostly affects plums and peaches. I can pick underripe greengages to make jam from but there wasn't much to eat ripe. Bringing the fruit inside infects shop bought peaches and nectarines too! Think we may make firewood from all the peach trees in our orchard as they are all tiny and scabby and never are edible anyway - so all the trouble I go to pruning them every year is just for some pretty blossom in March! I just concentrate on two specific trees elsewhere anyway.

[Thomzo]

I bought a patio nectarine last autumn which is in a large pot. It fruited this year but the fruit is still tiny and hard. A lot of it had brown rot. I was trying to water the pot regularly but do they need lots of water?

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

I don't know if they are in pots Zoe - I would use common sense and water every day if it's in a sunny position and the soil looks dry. As my soil is so free draining I have to irrigate a lot of my fruit trees otherwise the fruit either doesn't swell up (peaches) or just drops off prematurely (plums). Then they go and get brown rot anyway. I dunno, I do find my garden seems to attract disease like various blights, brown rot and rust - and I usually have all three or at least 2 out of 3! Just have to make the most of what I do get and this is why I have gone for so much soft fruit as touch wood I've always done well with currants and raspberries etc.