My Tiny PlotThinning my Peach Tree
When I planted and pruned my tiny Peach tree way back in March last year I honestly didn’t think I’d see any Peaches this year. But when it started to flower and I made a Peach frame to protect the flowers from the frost and later hand-pollinated it I crossed my fingers for something to happen. And it has! I feel like Father Christmas has been and left me 17 (I counted) tiny peaches.
Now, according to my book (Fruit & Vegetable Gardening) that’s way too many for the size the tree is right now. The poor thing would apparently attempt to grow and ripen all those fruits but would fail in all instances and the fruit would probably still be green when the first frosts arrived in Autumn.
So, it’s off with their tiny heads to make way for big juicy, fully ripened Peaches. I thinned the fruit to around one peachlet every 15cm. I’ve now got five Peaches left on the tree. Let’s hope that now they’ve got some room they can romp away nicely.
Anyone else growing Peaches or Nectarines? What varieties are you growing? This one is Peregrine a white flesh variety. I can’t wait to try it.
Hola! My parents just did the same to the tiny green baby oranges on their orange bush in Spain. Seemed harsh but I suppose a case of being cruel to be kind.
It seems extreme to remove most of the fruit when you’re actually growing it for the fruit, but hopefully you will now reap the rewards.
I went round removing half my strawberry flowers, because you shouldn’t really let strawberries fruit in the first year if you plant them in the Spring, but we’ve decided to compromise and hope for the best. I shan’t touch my asparagus if it comes to anything, though.
My 4 grape vines have exactly 3 million and 6 tiny grapes on them, but I’m not worried because the birds always thin them for me – just before they get ripe.
Only five peaches! Hey your peach tree is looking dandy… kinda like”wolverine” … LOL
Good thing pomegranates kinda self – thin…half of the fruit drops, but we still end up with a lot…
Oh WOW I never knew they looked like that! Thanks for great pics.
Your peach tree looks very pretty and should benefit in the long term from what seems like rather brutal treatment in the short term!
I have an espalier pear tree on a south facing fence in our garden. This is its 2nd year and it had a few flowers earlier in the spring which have now set into what I hope will be fruit. There are only a few and they’re all on one twig, which is a bit strange, but that’s the only place the flowers were. If anyone can give me advice on how and when to prune it and how to look after it generally I’d be very grateful. I’m struggling to find any info at all.
Pear! yummy
While you look after your tender pears i’m struggling to keep my young Guava fruit out of bird and insect attack. I’m getting about 300 small cotton bags stitched to cover my fruit this year.
Good luck your site is always fresh and inspiring :)
If you’d left those on a few more … until about half that size… You could Picle them…Gigglez ;) Too Wonderful!!
Have a Happy ;)
Huggz
Sorry My spelling sucks and I was running around…I LOVE Your items…leave them on about 1/2 again size…then pickle… Yummy ;) Huggz