Peaches: Our 20 most popular

Hardly any other fruit represents summer more than the sweet peach. We introduce you to the 20 most popular white and yellow peach varieties.

Biting into a deliciously juicy peach is wonderfully refreshing on a hot, dusty summer's day. However, it is all the more disappointing when the aroma of the peach freshly bought in the supermarket is not exactly intense - not to say bland. The best way to avoid such a disappointment is to have your own peach tree (Prunus persica) right outside your front door. But which type of peach is the best?

The best peach trees for your garden

A huge variety of strains causes some confusion. However, the large number of varieties available ensures that there is a peach to suit every taste and every garden. Fortunately, the confusion can even be sorted out a bit, because there are a few characteristics by which the varieties can be divided. For example, the time of maturity can be used. Early varieties begin ripening as early as July, while late varieties continue to bear fruit well into September. The following applies: Late-ripening varieties are generally more aromatic than early-ripening ones and their flesh is easier to remove from the stone.

In general, peaches are not the most frost-tolerant of all trees, which is why they can also be classified according to frost hardiness.

And resistance to leaf curl (Taphrina deformans), a common disease of peach trees, can also serve as a classification feature.

However, the most common criterion for classifying the varieties is the color of the flesh.

Frequent classification criteria are:

• Time of maturity
• frost hardiness
• Resistance to Curl Disease
• Pulp color

Sometimes variety descriptions explicitly state that the variety is self-pollinating. Of that you need yourselfbut don't let this confuse you, because as a rule all peach varieties are self-pollinating, with a few exceptions.

White fleshed peaches

White-fleshed peaches are mainly grown for fresh consumption, as their softer flesh makes them less suitable for canning. They offer a wide range of flavors and have a reputation for being relatively immune to leaf curl.

• ‘Benedictine’: The fruits of this variety are sweet and sour and pleasantly aromatic. They ripen in large numbers at the end of August because 'Benedictine' produces a very high yield. In addition, the variety is robust, for example against the dreaded leaf curl.
• 'Franziskus': At the beginning of August, the tasty fruits of the 'Franziskus' variety ripen. This variety is very robust and also tolerant to leaf curl.
• 'Helene': The slightly sour fruits of this variety are ready to harvest from mid-July. The plant is hardy and its flowers are characterized by their good frost resistance.
• 'Priscilla': The 'Priscilla' variety is extremely robust. Ripeness in summer is preceded by profuse flowering in spring. The flesh is wonderfully sweet and tangy.
• 'Miracle of Perm': This tried and tested variety was once brought to Germany from the Urals by emigrants. Accordingly, their good frost tolerance is characteristic. The peach also shows its robust side against various diseases. The sweet fruits ripen between late August and mid-September.
• 'Amsden': Well-established robust variety; early flowering and named after its American discoverer
• 'Revita': new breed with special resistance to leaf curl and other pathogens; pronounced frost tolerance

Yellow-fleshed peaches

Some claim the yellow-fleshed peaches are the best, as they tend to be sweeter and firmer than their white-fleshed counterparts. They are therefore particularly suitable for canning and further processing. Who knows, there might actually be something to it, but unfortunately the varieties with yellow flesh are also more susceptible to the annoying curling disease. If you are an absolute fan of yellow-fleshed varieties, this shouldn't be an obstacle, because there are some more robust representatives here too.

• 'Dixired': TheThe intensely red colored fruits of the old variety 'Dixired' ripen early in the year between mid-July and mid-August. This variety originates from the USA and is less susceptible to leaf curl.
• 'Proskauer Peach': Cultivation of the 'Proskauer Peach' is recommended in harsher regions. This peach variety produces intensely aromatic fruits that ripen by early September. It is resistant to frost and leaf curl.
• 'Redhaven': The beautiful upright peach tree bears extremely juicy sweet fruit with a delicately tart note. The fruits ripen neither early nor late, but in mid-August. The yield is very high - but this variety is unfortunately quite susceptible to leaf curl.
• 'Fairhaven': The fruits of the tall 'Fairhaven' only ripen in mid to late August and are therefore pleasantly aromatic and sweet and also extremely juicy.
• 'Spring Lady Merspri': This still quite young peach variety bears large and tasty fruits. These ripen in July. As with other early-ripening peach varieties, the stone cannot be separated from the flesh as easily, but the blossoms are extremely frost-resistant.
• 'Symphonie': The fruits of this hardy variety ripen at the end of August.
• 'Avalon Pride': Early-bearing variety with resistance to leaf curl
• 'Starcrest': Strong-growing, particularly early-bearing variety

Vineyard peach varieties

Vineyard peaches, also known colloquially as blood peaches, are among the older representatives of the peach variety. As their name suggests, they used to be planted in vacant spots in vineyards. They were then forgotten and neglected for a long time, but thanks to a number of initiatives, vineyard peaches are now being planted again - for example on the Moselle. The ripening period falls around the time of the grape harvest, i.e. between the end of August and the beginning of September. There are different subspecies of the vineyard peach, which differ in the color of the flesh and skin (each from dark red to white), but otherwise have the same all other properties.

The peaches are often less sweet, but strongly aromatic and ideal for processing in the kitchen, for example as peach jam or peach liqueur. Due to their fairly thick coat of hair, they are also well protected from cheeky wasps, which would otherwise like to gnaw a piece of the sweet peach. Vineyard peaches are also less affected by curling disease than many otherspeach varieties. Vineyard peaches are also true to seeds, so they can be propagated directly from seeds.

• 'Poysdorfer Weinbergpfirsich': The sweet wild peach aroma is typical of the 'Poysdorfer Weinbergpfirsich'. Its sparse hairiness is striking in comparison to other vineyard peaches. The historic variety comes from the Austrian town of Poysdorf near the Czech border and is characterized by its high yield and late harvest between the end of August and mid-September. Plus points are the frost resistance and the robustness against leaf curl.
• 'Red Vineyard Peach': The 'Red Vineyard Peach' has been cultivated in the wine-growing regions on the Moselle for centuries. The very hairy peach does not ripen until September and has deep red flesh. Its taste is bittersweet and wonderfully aromatic. If you prefer sweets, however, you should remove the peel before enjoying the peach.
• 'Winzertraum': As is typical for vineyard peaches, this variety is one of the traditional breeds. On the other hand, it is completely untypical that the fruit is completely hairless.

Dwarf Peach Varieties

If you don't have enough space, a dwarf peach is the right choice. The small trees can even be kept in a tub on the terrace and are extremely decorative, especially when they bloom in spring. However, since peaches generally have problems with frost and cold, you should insulate the tub well in winter, for example with bubble wrap. This prevents the root ball from freezing. Of course, there are also a wide variety of varieties of dwarf peaches:

• 'Crimson Bonfire': Typical of a dwarf peach, 'Crimson Bonfire' grows slowly. The variety is also a late bloomer when it comes to fruiting, so the delicious peaches don't ripen until mid-September. A special adornment are the red leaves with which 'Crimson Bonfire' adorns itself.
• 'Bonanza': The wonderfully red fruits of this variety ripen between August and September. The tree reaches a maximum height of 120 centimetres.
• 'Diamond': This dwarf peach bears its large, white-fleshed fruits as early as July.

Flat Peach Varieties

Prunus persica var is not only a species but a variety among peaches with the scientific name . platycarpa. It originated in China more than 2000 years ago, where it has been loved and cherished ever sincewill. The large, flat fruits have also found their way into European supermarkets. But here confusion often arises, because the disc-shaped fruits are often traded as vineyard peaches or wild peaches. However, this designation is simply wrong, because flat peaches are neither wilder than other peach varieties nor do they have anything to do with the small, round vineyard peach.

Flat peaches, also known as plate peaches, are easy to recognize by the flat shape of the fruit. The white or yellowish flesh is extremely aromatic. The high sugar content does the rest. In the middle there is a small stone compared to other peaches, which can be easily separated from the flesh. Unfortunately, the trees are quite susceptible to leaf curl.

• 'UFO3' and 'UFO4': The representatives of the 'UFO' series already bear their large pink fruits at the beginning of July. The flesh is white and tastes extremely sweet. Fruits of these varieties can often be found in supermarkets.
• 'Jalousie': In contrast to the 'UFO' peaches, 'Jalousie' has yellow-fleshed fruits with a strong yellow-red skin. The fruits are large and taste intensely spicy.
• ‘Saturn’: The wonderfully sweet and juicy fruits of ‘Saturn’ also have yellow flesh. This variety is also very cold tolerant.

If you want to know more about peaches, we have summarized all the information about peach trees in a special article for you.