How Long Before a New Peach Tree Bears Fruit?

Fruit-Bearing Age

• Peaches are self-fruitful trees that do not need another tree for effective pollination and fruit set. The tree starts to produce some amount of fruit in the third year after planting but full production does not occur until the sixth or seventh year, according to the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Fruit production generally starts in new fruit trees as soon as the flowers appear.

Factors Affecting Fruit Production

• The cultural care given to the tree affects the timing and quality of fruit. These factors includes proper growth conditions, pruning, fertilization and timely disease and pest management. Select peach varieties that are best adapted to local growing conditions in the area. Peach trees come in more than 100 different commercial varieties. A healthy peach tree has a life of 20 to 30 years.

Site

• Plant the tree in an area of full sun for best growth. Peaches are early blooming trees, making the flowers highly prone to damage from late spring frosts and, in turn, affecting eventual fruit production. Avoid planting the tree in a low lying area where frost pockets develop due to the collection of heavy, cold air. Peach flowers are killed at 25 to 28 degrees F. An elevated site or the sides or tops of hills are best for planting. According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, an elevation of about 10 feet is often the difference between strong fruit production or none at all.

Soil

• Peach trees adapt well to a variety of well-drained soils. Recommended soils include sandy loam to sandy clay loam with a pH of about 6.5. Avoid poorly drained soil because tree growth will be stunted and lead to eventual death. The tree is best planted anywhere between early December and the middle of March during the dormant state. This timing allows the root system to get established before active growth in spring.