Where Is the Peach Tree Commonly Found in the US?

Climatic Requirements

• Peach trees do best in climates that offer between 600 hours and 1,000 hours of temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit (though some cultivars require fewer hours). Too much cold, however, is not good for the peach tree, as it flowers early in the growing season — March — meaning that late cold snaps (below 25 degrees Fahrenheit) can kill the blossoms. All this adds up to a tree that thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.

Peachy States

• Ideal growing conditions have centralized the majority of the commercial U.S. peach growing to California's San Joaquin Valley. However, many southern states also offer a peach-conducive growing environment, including Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. Indeed, various peach cultivars can thrive in a number U.S. states, except the upper midwest and mountain states and the very far northeast. While south Florida's subtropical climate was long considered too warm to host peach trees, scientists at the University of Florida recently developed trees that flourish in that area.

Planting Peach Trees

• When preparing to install a peach tree in your landscape, choose a site that gets full sun. Peach trees do better on a slight rise, because frost can settle into low areas, causing damage to blossoms or fruit. The best site will have well-drained, sandy loam-type soil. Peach roots will not tolerate soils where water remains on or near the surface for more than one hour after a heavy rain. Spring is the best time to plant peach trees.

Peach Tree Care

• Apply 1 pound of nitrogen fertilizer to your peach tree about six weeks after you plant it. To enable your peaches to grow to their maximum size, you'll want to thin out either the blossoms or the newly developed fruits, ensuring there are 6 to 8 inches between each fruit. Harvest your peaches when they are fully ripe — when the color of the entire fruit has turned from green to yellow. To encourage production, you'll want to prune your tree each year in mid- to late April.