Peach : CONTENDER Semi-Dwarf (Bailey) (Orchard Grade)
$47.95
An 'orchard grade' is a tree that may be somewhat shorter, slightly crooked, or a bit scratched, or for some other reason is not a perfect front lawn specimen. These trees will work just as well in an orchard as a first or number one would, since they still produce the very same fruit.
Contender is building a reputation as the best flavoured of the hardier peaches since being introduced in 1987. Large, beautifully coloured fruit has firm, sweet, freestone flesh that resists browning when cut and a small pit. In short – the ideal canning peach. Two of the reasons why Contender is becoming known as a dependable producer are its cold hardy fruit buds and late blooming habit. It also shows considerable resistance to bacterial spot. Definitely one to try.
SELF-FERTILE | ZONE 4/5 | HARVEST: EARLY SEPT.
Everyone would love picking peaches off their very own tree, but for many of us here in Canada it remains an elusive dream. The bitter, relentless cold of some recent winters took a terrible toll, but true to their fickle nature, some trees survived in unlikely locations, while others in supposedly ideal settings gave up the ghost. Protection from frigid winds is almost certainly a benefit. The take-home message? Be aware of the risks, but stay cautiously optimistic and keep planting a tree or two.
1.25-2m (4-6ft.) bareroot trees
6 reviews for Peach : CONTENDER Semi-Dwarf (Bailey) (Orchard Grade)
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Growing Tips
Peach trees are usually unaffected by pests or diseases in northern areas, the occasional exception being peach leaf curl. PLC is not a fatal problem but it does need to be controlled if you get hit with it. Look for crinkled or puckered foliage in spring. Remove affected leaves and compost them. A good preventative is to spray the dormant trees with copper in the fall and again in the spring before bud break (See page 63). Do NOT spray during the growing season as it will cause all the leaves to drop.
Prune your peach trees in May, once they have leafed out, but don’t prune off all the new wood that grew last summer. Peach trees fruit on that last season growth. Trim any dead or winterkilled branches and leave most of the new wood. Occasionally you can make a few bold cuts back to a vigorous branch closer
to the trunk if your tree becomes too leggy. As the tree matures, you may want to thin out the branches quite aggressively.
One of the key factors that determines cold-hardiness for tender fruit trees such as apricots and peaches is how well they harden off in the fall. Any activity that stimulates growth should be avoided after August 1. This includes fertilizing, overly frequent watering and pruning.
Stop! Do not plant your peach or nectarine tree in that sheltered nook of the south side of your house. Although well meant, this very common mistake is almost certain to doom your new tree. Of course extreme cold is hard on peach trees, but the warm noonday sun on a late winter day is actually worse. A dark tree trunk will warm up considerably but then the temperature drops and the bark refreezes. To avoid this fluctuation, look for a planting site in the winter shade (north side) of a building or group of evergreens. In other word, close enough to the building to be shaded from the low winter sun but far enough back to get full exposure in the summertime when the sun is high. The goal is uniform cold so as
not to interrupt dormancy. Some growers white wash the trunks and lower branches of older peach trees in late fall with a cheap interior latex paint to protect from sun damage in winter. Young trees should have trunks wrapped with a light coloured blanket or covering.
Dietmar L. (verified owner) –
The tree arrived here in less than 48 hours after being shipped. The roots were well wrapped and protected during transport in a sturdy box. For an orchard grade tree it looks pretty perfect and is already showing good growth a few weeks after planting
Eric V. (verified owner) –
Excellent selection
Wendy (verified owner) –
Trees are great so far. The peach has been a lot slower to leaf out. The apricot is not only fully leaved, it’s growing new branches 🙂. However, being only half the size, it can devote more energy. Also, the leaves are much smaller than they are on peach trees so requires less energy on that front as well.
My only issue is that I selected a Sat for shipping & it turns out FedEx doesn’t pick up from them on Saturdays. I wouldn’t have selected a Sat if that had been on the website. It shouldn’t be offered as a shipping date if it’s not available. I prepped based on that and with so much rain I could’ve ended up with holes that were not useable from being filled with water. More importantly, they were boxed on the Sat but bc they weren’t picked up from Whiffletree until Monday by fedex they were boxed for 4 days by the time I got them potentially pushing their limit. I was initially concerned that it taking a few weeks longer to leaf out was bc of this. I don’t think that now. But my shipping date was May 3 which was still pretty cool. However for those shipping in warmer weather, I’d be concerned about them drying out being boxed for 4 days due to the delayed pick up.
But other than this, I’m very happy with the trees. My fingers crossed they’re OK next spring. My last bare root peach from a different nursery, got taken out the following spring by a late frost. I’m so excited for these ones to do well.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Sandra Gillingham (verified owner) –
Love bare fruit trees 🙂 I just can't wait until they fruit in the upcoming years.
Michelle U. (verified owner) –
Bought 2 peach trees. They arrived in great condition! They are doing really well still. Make sure you fully read the booklet/ instructions that come with the trees before planting! Shipping was a couple days late though which was unfortunate because we asked a friend to come over to help with planting on the day of expected arrival.