A juicy peach, picked fresh and ripe from your own tree, is a real treat. However, peach trees in our latitudes are often plagued by the dreaded curl disease, which reduces the tree's vitality and thus the harvest. The Harrow Beauty peach is one of the few varieties resistant to it.
What makes the peach Harrow Beauty special?
The Harrow Beauty peach is a disease-resistant variety that is particularly resistant to curl disease. The fruits are juicy and aromatic, with yellow flesh and red coloring on the sun-kissed side. The harvest ideally takes place from mid-August.
What is frizz disease?
This leaf disease, which is not only typical for peaches, is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. The ascomycete fungus attacks the young leaf and flower buds towards the end of winter (i.e. in January and February). When the leaves emerge in spring, they curl and develop green or red blisters. The tree will shed its leaves as the disease progresses, and entire branches may even die. Particularly in very wet winters, an infestation with the causative fungus occurs.
What can you do against frizz?
Once the tree is infected, there's not much you can do. Basically, only preventative measures such ashelp
- planting less susceptible peach varieties such as Harrow Beauty
- spraying with copper-containing fungicides before the leaves emerge
- choosing the right location: best protected from the rain under a roof
Aromatic and disease resistant: Peach Harrow Beauty
If you don't want to give curl disease a chance, a resistant peach tree is the right choice. However, Harrow Beauty also impresses with its juicy and very aromatic flesh. The yellow-fleshed peach has a red color on its sun-drenched side. The fruits can be harvested from around mid-August and are suitable for both fresh consumption and cooking.
Don’t leave Harrow Beauty on the tree for too long
Unlike other peaches, you should harvest Harrow Beauty when the fruits are still firm - i.e. not quite ripe. The peach will continue to ripen and then develop a fruity-sweet taste. Peaches of this variety that are left on the tree for too long lose their fruity taste and often become mealy.
Choose the right location
Peaches need a lot of sun, which is why a full sun to at least partially shaded, west or south facing location is ideal. If the leaves turn yellow to red in summer, this is often due to a lack of light. If, on the other hand, the leaves are very light instead of bright green, a nutrient deficiency is usually to blame. In this case, you should fertilize your peach tree heavily, especially with a fertilizer containing iron.
Tips & Tricks
Peaches grow tall and reach an average height of between two and three meters. If you want to grow a trellis, it is advisable to use a type of fruit that is less vigorous and easier to train - for example an apple or plum.
