In all my years of buying fresh peaches, I only had one peach pit grow,
until one year when I got many. I had always bought grocery store peaches
that were grown in a warm climate, California, Georgia, etc. When the local
Lions Club was selling Michigan grown peaches, I planted that seed and 10%
of the pits grew.
My policy for planting pits is to plant them in the Fall so they freeze
when the ground freezes. I've learned that if the pit doesn't freeze, the
tree won't tolerate the freezing temperatures either.
Raising peaches here in zone 3 has to be a labor of love because I only
get fruit when the Winter temperature doesn't drop below -25 F, a condition
that occurs infrequently. I get fruit once every 5 to 10 years.
Jim Fruth
[NAFEX] Exploring cold-hardy peaches,
Jim Fruth, 08/02/2009