How Tall Does a Peach Tree Get?

Characteristics

• When left entirely to its own devices, a peach tree will grow 15 to 25 feet high at the most, with a spread of about the same size. The flowers begin blossoming in April, and may be damaged by spring frosts. Fruits begin to mature in July and August. The irregular leaf crown is dense and fast-growing, and many commercial growers use pruning techniques to keep the crown thinned out to maximize fruit production.

Cultivation

• Plant peach trees in a site where they will receive full sunlight. High elevation is preferable. Do not plant the tree at the bottom of a slope or in a low-lying area where cold air may settle, as this could damage tender young shoots and flowers. Peach trees need well-drained, light soil. Healthy, well-planted peach trees will bear fruit every single year.

Pruning

• Prune peach trees annually to increase fruit production, reduce size and provide plenty of air flow in and around the leaf canopy. It is best to prune in late winter/early spring, no earlier than March. You can also "top" peach trees in summer, which is a pruning practice in which the top of the trees are pruned to keep them smaller and more manageable. When pruning peach trees, cut limbs back to the collar, the raised area that marks a leaf junction on the branch. When you regularly prune peach trees, you exercise some control over their height. Topped, well-pruned orchard peach trees are maintained at 7 to 12 feet tall.

Miniature Trees

• Miniature varieties of peach trees are less than half the size of standard trees, only 5 to 6 feet tall. Despite their small growing size, miniature peach trees produce full-sized fruits. Miniature peach tree cultivars include Prunus persica "Pix Zee," Prunus persica "Eldorado," Prunus persica "Honey Babe," Prunus persica "Garden Gold" and Prunus persica "Bonanza." Like their full-sized counterparts, miniature peach trees may require regular canopy thinning to increase their fruit production.