Growing Peaches and Making Jam
Growing peaches and making peach jam
It’s one of my favorite times of year in the garden – my peach trees are heavily laden with delicious, sweet fruit ready for picking.
Many people are surprised to learn that you can grow peaches in Arizona, but they do very well. However, they do ripen earlier than in cooler climates. May is peach season here in the desert.
My peach trees sit outside my kitchen window, and I’ve been keeping my eye on them to see when they were ready to harvest. Finally, the day arrived, and I brought out my bushel basket and got to picking.
One peach tree can provide you with most of the peaches you need. Last year, I made peach blueberry jam, which was so good, that it didn’t last long. Today, I’m planning on making regular peach jam, but I can always buy peaches from the store at another time to make other variations if I choose to.
Every May, I haul out my water bath canner, and canning jars, and spend 2 hours making delicious peach jam.
Growing peaches and making jam isn’t difficult or expensive. Here is a link to the guidelines that I follow.
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
Yum! Peaches are my favorite. Here in New Mexico my peaches won’t be ripe for awhile but our tree is loaded. We have to fight the birds for fruit. After trying everything, last year I bought red flash tape that you tie on the branches to scare away the birds. It worked! I also love to make jam with mine too.
Hello Joyce,
I didn’t have too many problems with the birds this year, but I will keep your helpful tip in mind for next year. Thank you for sharing!
You’re right, I am surprised that peaches grow well in the desert, especially because they also grow them in Michigan!
It is certainly surprising to see peach (and apple trees) growing in a desert garden, but they do beautifully in our climate and don’t suffer from the insects and fungal diseases that can plague them in the Southeast.