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[Evelyn Mellott <e.mellott@xplornet.ca>]

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Toni Pralle

To: nafex

Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 10:37 AM

Subject: [NAFEX] Subject: Exploring Hardy Peaches

>>

   After the glorious summer of 2008 when I had over 50 peaches off my little tree -and then it died- I saved all the peach seeds from that tree and from a crate of peaches I had bought. I planted each seed in a hole of its own until I ran out of enthusiasm and ended up throwing the last two dozen in one big hole. Of all the seeds, two from that big hole germinated and one single germinated this summer. The single died before summer got into full swing. Later I noted the other two. They are so close together they look like two trunks from one seed but I am pretty sure if I dug them up I'd have two. I thought I'd separate them next summer if they survive the winter. I had thought I would put leaves or something around them for winter protection. Should I? And when? We've had a continuation of crazy weather. It's hot when it should be cold and cold when it should be hot. Rain to flood us or drought so I have to water. All this can be in the same month

 

I usually start my peaches inside and crack them open before chilling and I suspect that these two remaining peach seedlings are likly "twins", like there was two seeds in one shell and they both germinated. Some times in 100 seeds I would find aprox 10 shell with 2 seeds. If you do cover wait till its likly to no longer rain because they don't do well under wet mulch, you can cover with plastic, plywood something to  to shed the water.  I don't know how cold you get but I found that in the spring you are best to very slowly remove the mulch(a little every couple days or a week)  as if you get a sudden cold spell they can't take it, give them time to climatetize
Evelyn Zone 3