North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jenny Ruth Yasi" <voices@maine.rr.com>]

We have a reliance peach, growing in great compost on the southeast side of 
our house, and I guess I'm not a connisseur (I'm not even sure how to spell 
it) but we LOVE this peach. We get about 50-75 pounds of large luscious melt 
in your mouth bright orange flesh peaches from a small tree. No insect 
problems at all, they are oganically grown, well sometimes a bee will drill 
a hole in them. They do need to be thinned, compost mulched, moist rich 
soil, sheltered, then they grow very large and perfect for fresh, frozen and 
cooking. Beautiful pink spring flowering branches to sell with the tulips. 
We ate peaches till we were all turning orange last year, pies galore, and 
we still have some in the freezer. A couple of years I didn't thin well 
enough and the whole top of the tree broke off under the weight of the 
fruit. It is recovering. Now I've espaliered it to the deck and railing and 
some trellis, so it does need thinning and support. I am much less hesitant 
about thinning the baby peaches now that I see how big and heavy the 
remaining ones get! I also dormant oil spray it (neem). Love that tree! Now 
we talk about planting another because we would be in such a state if 
anything ever happened to that tree!

Yasi
Peaks Island Maine
zone 5