Home Gardening

Growing peaches in Mississippi is challenging
Mississippi Gardens Newspaper and Web Column - March 3, 2003

Growing fresh fruits and vegetables in the backyard garden is a very rewarding experience. Just the other day someone made a fuss over how good my home grown, green onions are and it made me feel really good! Onions, however, are easy to grow when compared to tree fruits like peaches.

Have you noticed how pretty the peach tree blooms are this spring? Some peach cultivars are beginning to bloom and they look so nice! However, the difficult task, as most peach growers know, is getting those pretty pink flowers to become delicious, mouth watering, tree ripened fruit in just a few months.

To say that growing peaches in Mississippi gardens is a challenge is an understatement. Each year though, many gardeners plant peach trees in hope of reaping a bountiful harvest. Prospective peach growers should know what they are getting into. Raising peaches requires much time and effort including annual pruning and a regimen of insect and disease control sprays that begin in January and may not end until two weeks before harvest. Most gardeners don't like using pesticides but it's nearly impossible to harvest high quality fruit without them. Nevertheless, even with our best efforts peach trees may still fall prey to nematode induced disease and/or peach tree borers, scale, brown rot, etc.

If one is determined to attempt growing peaches they should begin by selecting a variety that is recommended for their area. To find a list of peaches that will grow in Mississippi get a copy of the MSU-Extension Service publication entitled Fruit and Nut Recommendations for Mississippi. It can be found online on msucares.com or at your local Extension Service Office. While you are obtaining the list, go ahead and get a copy of the spray guide for peaches and plums. Those instructions should be followed carefully. Especially take note not to spray insecticides during bloom lest you harm the bees.

I guess there is a sore spot in my heart where peaches are concerned. They are so beautiful when they bloom, but so many pests prey on them. Last year, we ate organic peaches at my house from trees that I didn't spray. The results reminded me of one of my favorite cartoons. The scene is of a roadside market owner selling his organic produce to a doubtful client. The owner said, "Of course it's organic, see how healthy that little worm is!" Happy gardening!

Publications may download photograph at 200 d.p.i.

These archived columns were written by Kerry Johnson, a hobby gardener, former weekly newspaper columnist and an Area Extension Horticulture Agent for 11 coastal counties in Mississippi.