The Red Baron peach is a classic example of the popular fruit. The fruit is a late season freestone with outstanding flavor. Growing Red Baron peaches isn’t particularly difficult, but young trees need some help to establish and develop a good form. Red Baron peach care includes training, watering, and feeding needs. We’ll give some important Red Baron peach info to help your plant get off to a good start.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Red Baron peaches are widely available in supermarkets because they don’t transport well. These delicate fruits are popular home orchard plants that bloom and produce prolifically. In fact, the production is so high, culling the blossoms to minimize fruit per stem tip is advised for better fruit size. That being said, with a little care, harvesting Red Baron peaches in August and taking those first bites is one of the highlights of the summer. Red Baron peach trees thrive in United States Department of Agriculture zones 6 to 10.
This peach tree produces huge, double petaled, deeply red flowers in spring. Red Baron peach trees require 250 chill hours and are self-fruitful. The plant grows up to 15 feet (4.5 m.) at maturity with a similar spread, although there are plants on semi dwarf rootstock that will be smaller. The fruits are deeply red with bright yellow flesh and run about 3 inches (8 cm.) in size. The flavor is sweet with tart overtones and delightfully juicy.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Red Baron peach trees thrive in full sun — at least six to eight hours of direct light a day.
Watering and Fertilizing
For your tree’s first year, water it every few days so that it will develop an extensive root system. Once the tree is established and growing strongly, you can cut back to once-a-week watering, giving it about an inch of water each time. If you are experiencing very hot or dry weather, increase your supplemental watering. Fertilize your tree with a balanced product designed for fruit trees, such as a 12-12-12 formula, according to package directions. Your first application should be about six weeks after planting. Follow this with applications in early spring (before bud break), summer, and fall.
Planting Instructions
Site your tree in soil that drains well and receives at least six hours of direct sun a day. Avoid planting your tree where it will be in the path of prevailing winds, giving it a more sheltered spot if possible. Unpot the sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Once unpotted, soak the roots in a bucket of water while you prepare the ground.
Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, and, while holding it steady and upright, fill in around it with topsoil that’s been mixed with well-rotted compost or manure. Tamp down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth, but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid rot.
Pruning
Monitor your tree for dead, damaged, or diseased limbs, and trim these out whenever you see them. Maintenance pruning should be done in late winter. Prune to an “open center” shape, cutting out the main central leader and allowing several scaffold branches with wide angles to continue growing. Prune out suckers, and prune back the scaffolds by about one-third. Once the tree is mature, cut out a portion of the older wood each year to allow for new growth, and prune back the previous year’s growth by about half their length. Always make cuts at a 45-degree angle right above a bud.
Pollination
The Red Baron peach tree is self-fertile. This means that a single tree has both male and female characteristics, and there is no need for multiple trees in order to harvest fruit. You will increase your tree’s productivity, however, if you plant more than one tree.
Pests and Diseases
Pests that may appear on your peach tree include aphids, stink bugs, fruit moths, and borers. Severe infestations may require spraying with an insecticide. For mild infestations, consider releasing beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, to control the populations naturally. Diseases of the peach include anthracnose, brown rot, and armillaria root rot. All three of these are fungal in nature. Trim out diseased branches and use a copper fungicide to control them. Animals that can impact your fruit tree include deer and small mammals, such as squirrels, that will be attracted to the fruit. Consider wrapping the bark of young trees to keep deer from nibbling. Netting may help keep animals off the tree at fruiting time.
III. Uses and Benefits
Even if you aren’t a fan of peaches, you might consider growing a Red Baron peach tree purely for the spectacular display you’ll have every spring when it blooms. The Red Baron peach tree is a good choice if you have a cottage-themed garden, and it would make a lovely specimen tree in the front yard or an attractive foundation planting near your home.
IV. Harvesting and Storage
In most regions, your peaches should ripen in late summer or early fall. Peaches don’t continue to ripen after picking, so leave them on the tree until they are starting to soften slightly and have a sweet smell. Ripe peaches have no trace of green and are the characteristic yellow-blush color. Harvest by hand, twisting them off the tree. Place your peaches carefully on a flat tray to avoid bruising them.
