North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

I also find Belle of Georgia to be rot resistant but I don't blame the rot for its opinion- they're pretty resistant to me also, I won't go near one.  

Well, actually, I agree with Scott that it's a nice peach- especially compared to what you find in the stores but it is so soft and prone to dropping as soon as it gets ripe.  It's also very fuzzy and bruises when you give it a mean look.  Does have that distinctive peach perfumed bouquet though- eating-wise.

For a meatier more manly peach I suggest Elberta as a similarly rot resistant peach in a little later season (kidding about the manly part, but white peaches seem often to be named after ladies and I've heard commercial growers say that woman prefer them).  Plus you can store firm ripe Elberta's in the fridge for a couple weeks.  

For an earlier, less hirsute, better tasting, looking, and behaving (doesn't drop or bruise as easily) white peach than BofG, you can try Rariton Rose.  With it you can get attractive peaches without fungicide in an open area and an open tree.  Actually, from Red Haven heading backwards to Harrow Diamond, peaches don't tend to rot so much.   In the south you'd probably have to go earlier to get equivalent rot resistance.  The same rot resistance is generally enjoyed by earlier ripening plums.

The Harrow breeding program is the only one I know that looks closely at rot resistance (or at least used to).  I forget which of their selection of apricots are said to be most rot resistant but I know Hargrand doesn't get much scab.  Harcrest is a very high quality peach that seems to me to be quite rot resistant for a late (about a week before Elberta here).

Hope my largely anecdotal observations are helpful.  I've looked at all these peaches for quite a few seasons at many locations.