How Big Do Peach Trees Get?

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Last Updated on January 26, 2022 by Cinthia

It is significant to find out how big do peach trees get before planting so you can know the exact place to grow them in your garden.

Peach trees are rewarding fruit trees. There is no better satisfying experience than picking a ripened peach right off the tree in your backyard. They are fresh, juicy fruits that are easy to grow organically.

These fruits are eaten fresh, baked in pies or cobblers, or canned as a staple commodity in many regions. The yellow-fleshed varieties are rich in Vitamin A.

How Big Do Peach Trees Get?

Different varieties of peach trees attain different heights. Generally, they can reach a height of up to 25 feet tall and almost the same width if not pruned. Dwarf varieties can grow up to 6 feet tall and in width.

Your standard peach tree should be pruned to around 12 – 15 feet for good airflow and reachability when harvesting the fruits. The sizes of peach trees are as follows:

  • Standard: 18 to 20 feet tall and wide
  • Semi-dwarf: 8 to 12 feet tall and wide
  • Dwarf: 5 to 6 feet tall and wide
Peach Trees - How Big Do They Get

A standard peach tree can yield up to 150 pounds of fruit per year while a dwarf can yield up to 60 pounds of peaches. You might need to plan what to do with your peaches once they grow. Will you eat it all fresh? Will, you can them? Or will you make jam? Pick your most appealing variety of peach and plant it. You will surely enjoy a bountiful harvest!

How Long Do Peach Trees Produce Fruits?

A peach tree starts to produce fruits at 2 to 4 years. It will continue to do for an average of 12 years.
During this time it will continue to produce a high yield with each harvest depending on the variety you planted. The yield per variety is as follows:

  • Miniature variety ¼ to 1 bushel
  • Dwarf variety: 1 to 3 bushels
  • Standard variety: 3 to 6 bushels

If you maintain your tree, you can extend its lifespan to about 15 to 20 years. The 4th to 8th year in the life of a peach tree is the peak production season. After the 8th year, the tree starts to produce less with each subsequent crop.  By year 12, you might want to start planting new peach trees if you want more supply.

Where Do Peaches Grow?

Peaches grow successfully across the world. China is the world’s leading producer of peaches. The United States holds the 5th position in producing these juicy fruits.

In the US, peaches do well in USDA zones 5 to 9 where the summers are hot, and winters go below 40 degrees F for an extended period.

Peach trees require this cold spell each winter to set their fruit for spring. The top four states that produce lots of peaches in the US are South Carolina, California, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Read more about How to Plant a Lemon Tree Outdoors

Recommended Varieties

There are hundreds of peach cultivars that one can choose to grow.  These cultivars are broken down into three categories namely, Freestone, Clingstone, and Semi-freestone. These categories stand for how much the flesh adheres to the peach pit.

Freestone – This cultivar is a favorite to many gardeners and comes in two types – Elberta and Glohaven.

Elberta – It produces a sizeable golden-yellow fruit blushed with red tones.  It is known for its firm sweet flesh that pulls away from the pit with ease. This flesh is best for eating freshly picked or canning.

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Glohaven – produces large, bright, and yellow-colored peaches that are smooth without the fuzzy peachy characteristics. It is less susceptible to freezing temperatures than other types thus best eaten fresh.

Semi-Freestone – This cultivar has a type known as Redhaven. This type is one of the most favored of the standard varieties of peaches. It is a sweet, yellow peach with some blushing red parts. Its flesh is sweet and freezes well making it excellent for canning and eating fresh.

Clingstone – This cultivar has a type known as the white heath cling. It is a late-season variety producing medium to large fruit. It has intriguing white skin and a slight blush. Its flesh is juicy with a distinct flavor. This variety is a cold-hardy one.

Check out How to Grow a Cherry Tree from a Branch

FAQs

How fast does a peach tree grow?

Quick Answer Peach trees grow at a rate of 1 to 2 feet per year, according to Gardening.com. This is much faster than other fruit trees, such as apples and pears, which can grow in one to two decades. Keep Learning Peach trees are grown in the same manner as any other fruit tree, according to the website.

How tall is a 1 year old peach tree?

Quick Answer A 1-year-old peach tree is about 12 feet tall. A 2-year-old tree is about 18 feet tall, according to the University of Georgia Extension. Keep Learning In order to determine the height of a peach tree, the first step is to determine the age of the tree.

Are peach trees hard to grow?

Quick Answer Peach trees are relatively easy to grow, but the trees themselves are quite large. They can grow to be 20 feet tall and have a trunk diameter of 18 inches. The trees require a lot of space and have a long growing season, so they must be planted in early spring or fall. They also require a lot of water during the growing season.

How many peaches does a tree produce?

There are a number of different ways to estimate the number of peaches on a tree. The first is simply by counting the number of peaches, and then dividing that by the number of days in the season. This is a good way to get an idea of how many you have, but it can be misleading if there are large fluctuations in production.

Where do peach trees grow best?

Peach trees grow well in the eastern half of the United States and in California. In the midwest, they usually don’t do as well because it is too hot and dry for them. They also do well in New England. The climate in the midwest is generally too cold and wet for them. They can also be grown in southern Florida, but not as well as in California or the east.

Peaches are one of the most popular fruit trees for home orchards. Their size makes them easy to harvest and they have a great taste. They are very juicy and sweet. The first commercial peach was probably from China. It came to Europe and then to America. It was grown in the wild in North Carolina. This is the original tree that we call a “wild peach.

 Conclusion

Now that you know how big the peach trees get, it’s best to know the difference between peach and nectarine trees. Peach and nectarine trees are the same species – Prunus Persica.

Nectarine fruit is fuzz-free and somewhat smaller; and sweeter than peach. Peach trees can sometimes grow nectarines and vice versa.

You can get a professional to graft branches that previously produced nectarines and graft them onto peach trees. 

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