Fruit tree
Peach
Prunus persica · also Nectarine (smooth-skinned form)
A fast-growing stone fruit that crops well on the Adelaide plains and in the Hills, with fruit from late spring to autumn depending on variety. Most varieties are self-fertile, so one tree is enough. Plant bare-rooted in winter and spray for leaf curl at bud swell each year.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing400 cm apart
- FrostFrost hardy
- HeatCopes with some heat
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add peach to my gardenTake care with pets and children
Varieties (4)
- AnzacOld early-season white-fleshed peach; reliable in Adelaide
- Golden QueenLate yellow clingstone for preserving; heavy cropper that needs thinning
- PixzeeGenetic dwarf for large pots and small yards; easy to net
- Tropic SnowLow-chill white peach (around 200 chill hours); a safe choice for warm coastal and plains gardens
Neighbours
Grows well with
From seed to plate
Plant
400 cm apart. Full sun.
Water
Deep water weekly from spring to harvest.
Feed
Compost and a balanced fruit tree feed in late winter.
Pick
Pick when fully coloured and slightly soft at the stem end.
Good to know
- Thin fruit to a hand-width apart when marble-sized for bigger fruit and fewer broken branches
- Peaches fruit on last season's growth: prune after harvest or in winter to keep new wood coming
- On the Adelaide plains choose low to medium chill varieties; high chill types may flower poorly after a mild winter
- Improve heavy clay with gypsum and compost, or plant on a mound for drainage
Common problems
- Peach leaf curl (red, puckered new leaves in spring)spray with copper or lime sulphur at bud swell in late winter, before buds open; it can't be fixed once leaves are curled
- Brown rot (fruit rots on the tree)remove mummified fruit, thin crowded fruit and prune for airflow
- Fruit flypick ripe fruit promptly, destroy fallen fruit and follow current SA biosecurity guidance if outbreaks are declared in your area
- Birds and possumsnet trees from fruit set on a frame
- Late frosts in the Hills can kill blossomcover small trees on frosty nights in early spring
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Wildlife
Good for: bees.
Where this information comes from
- Sustainable Gardening Australia: Growing peaches and nectarines in Australia (growing, medium confidence, checked 29 Oct 2026)
- ABC Gardening Australia: Fruit Guide (growing, medium confidence, checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Agriculture Victoria: Peach leaf curl (problems, low confidence)
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Peach (toxicity, high confidence, checked 29 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 29 Oct 2026. Version 1.