How Grown, Raised and Processed

Peach trees live for about 20 years. It takes between 2-4 years of growth before the tree starts producing fruit, and years 4 through 8 are the tree’s peak production time (HMC, n.d.). Peaches are typically grown in full sun exposure preferably in a sandy soil type and with a soil pH of slightly acidic to neutral. Certain species of peach tree thrive in specific climates. Table 1 is a chart of the physiographic regions of Nepal that shows the areas most suited to peach productions.

Table 1. Characteristics of Physiographic Regions of Nepal

Horticultural crops

Features

Land Area

(Million ha)

Geology

Elevation

Climate

Moisture

Regime

Rainfall

Intensity

Terai

Siwaliks

Middle Mountains

High Mountains

High Himal

3.1 (44%)

2 (12.7%)

4.4 (29.5%)

2 (19.7%)

2.4 (23.7%)

Quaternary alluvium

Tertiary sandstone, siltstone, shale & conglomerates

Phyllite, quartzite limestone and islands of granites

Gneiss, quartzite & mica shists

Gneiss, schist, limestone and Tethys sediments

100-300 m

200 - 1500 m

800 - 2400 m.
Relief 1500 m with isolated peaks to 2700 m

1000 - 4000 m
High relief 3000 m from valley floor to ridges

2000 to 5000 m +

Tropical

Tropical, subtropical

Subtropical, warm temperate (but tropical in lower river valleys; cool temperate on high ridges)

Warm to cool temperate, alpine

Alpine to arctic (snow 6 - 12 months)

Subhumid in FW+MWDR; humid in W+C and FDR

Subhumid in most of the area; humid in N-aspect of W+C=EDR and Dun Valleys

Humid; perhumid above 2000 m

Subhumid to perhumid

Semi arid behind Himal

High

Medium

Low

Mango, lychee pineapple, jack-fruit, potato, tomato

Mango, papaya, banana, potato

Mango, papaya, banana, orange, lime, lemon, peach plum, nectarine, persimmon, Asian pear, potato, cauliflower

Chestnut, walnut, apple, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, almonds, potato

When bought from a nursery the trees bloom in the summer. Nitrogen fertilizer is required throughout the tree’s development to produce the best results. Specifically in the tree’s first three years it needs about a pound of nitrogen fertilizer once a year in the spring. Also in the developing stages of the tree, it needs to be pruned, to remove some of the shoots, and branches so the tree produces less fruit at a better quality (The Old Farmer’s, n.d.). With the proper fertilizer and pruning the tree can grow 10-18 inches more each season. This care also helps with the prevention of certain pest and diseases such as Brown Rot, and Gummosis. According to table 2, it appears that there are two distinct growing seasons for peach crops, May to September and April to August. The proper care of the trees during this time will ensure a healthy crop for many years.

Table 2. Method and Time of Propagation

Fruit Crop

Propagation Method

Time

Apple

Pear

Peach, Plum, Apricot, Cherry

Persimmon

Bench grafting
(Whip and Tongue)

Bench grafting (Whip and Tongue)
Budding (T or Chip)

January/February

January/February
May/June

Tongue or cleft grafting (in situ)
Shield Budding

May to September
April to August

Chip Budding

January/February

When the fruit has developed on the tree it should be picked when it is fully ripe (The Old Farmer’s, n.d.). As indications of when the fruit is ripe, one should look for: easy removal from branch, no green colour, yellow in colour, not very hard to touch and not to soft or wrinkling of the skin (Driver, 2014). The time for harvest depends on many factors. Most commonly the harvest time is towards the end of summer, but the best way to tell is to test the peach and look for the indicators mentioned above, to see if it’s ripe. When harvesting, there is a rather small window of time to pick the fruit when it is perfectly ripe and it not be immature or overripe; and if picked at the wrong time the peach could lack flavour, juiciness, texture, and sweetness (Grant, 2014). Once all the peaches are harvested the next step is to store them. If the peach is picked and it is still under ripe it should not be stored in cold storage, but if the peach is at the desired ripeness then cold storage is necessary (The Georgia Peach Council, 2015). Being a fruit, the peach does not last very long in storage, so some alternatives to storage would be to use all the peaches that the tree provides by canning or freezing them, making jam or even cooking with them so as not to waste product