Tender sweet peaches and peach cobbler homemade from the orchard isn’t a dream for those living in the Low Desert. The University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has an entire list of fruit and nut trees that can grow well in the Low Desert. These particular varieties are highlighted for their good taste and their ease of growing. There are some freestone and semi-freestone varieties included as well as those with varying ripening times.
Chilling Requirements of 250 Hours or Less
The peach tree varieties that require 250 hours or less of chilling time include Bonanza Miniature, Desert Red, Desert Gold, Eva’s Pride, Flordaprince, May Pride, Mid Pride, Tropic Beauty, Tropic Snow, Tropic Sweet, and Vallegrande. Bonanza miniature is a freestone low-acid peach that has a mild sweet flavor. Desert Gold peaches have a sweet flavor while the Desert Red has firm fruits. Both are self-fruiting. Eva’s Pride has a freestone peach while Flordaprince has large semi-cling fruit. May Pride is a semi-freestone with early ripening while Mid Pride has a mid-season yellow freestone peach. Tropic Beauty is a yellow freestone fruit, with Tropic Snow being a white-fruited freestone peach. Tropic Sweet is a freestone yellow peach with a mid-May ripening. Lastly, Vallegrande variety peach trees have a semi-freestone yellow peach with a firm texture.
Chilling Requirements of over 250 Hours
The peach tree varieties for the Low Desert that need over 250 hours of chilling time are August Pride, Babcock, Earligrande, and Flordaking. August Pride is a freestone self-fruiting peach with a rich flavor. It needs 300 hours of chilling time. Babcock varieties need 250-300 hours of chilling time and have a white flesh low-acid sweet fruit. The Earligrande variety needs 275 hours of chill time and has a semi-freestone yellow peach. The Flordaking variety of tree has a semi-freestone peach.
Chilling Requirement Calculation
A precise way to calculate the chill hours of an area, according to the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is to count the amount of hours that are between 32 and 45 degrees F in the time between November 1st and February 15th.
These peach trees will work well in the Low Desert area with proper care. They produce delicious fruit and are abundant in fruiting. Other fruit trees for the Low Desert can also be planted with these peach trees, should you prefer to have multiple varieties of fruits and nuts to choose from in season.
Tina Samuels - Tina Samuels specializes in health, animal, and gardening articles. She authored "A Georgia Native Plant Guide".
