Let’s be serious, there isn’t a soul out there who has bitten into a fresh juicy peach and not walked away a changed person. I have always been a believer in the power of a peach in my life and probably like most of you as well, I have become accustomed to discarding various pits and seeds and rinds throughout my property as a sort of lazy-man’s compost pile. Never did I consider the possibility of something like a watermelon or cantaloupe, or even a peach to sprout. Yet a few years ago I saw a strange tree coming up and decided to protect it and see what happened—still not thinking of the possibility that it was some discarded fruit or vegetable seed.
I somewhat forgot about the tree until this summer when I noticed these beautiful red globes scattered in a tree on the edge of my property. I went in for a closer look and lone behold, before me was a fully producing peach tree. I quickly retrieved a few low ones and was suddenly tasting and feeling the goodness of a coincidentally ripe peach. On my property I let most everything grow, given it is native or at least productive and non-invasive, which makes this tree such a beautiful reminder of what happens when we let nature do its work. If I had a normal lawn or a perfectly manicured garden, this peach wouldn’t have stood a chance against the mower blades or meticulous weeding hands.
And yes, it isn’t a native tree, but it’s just too beautiful and delicious to take out. How many of us are native to the places we live either? At least it is better to eat a peach off my own tree than pay to have some shipped from who-knows-where to my local grocery store. I’m tempted now to start a little orchard!
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About Christina Kobland
I am so glad you posted about your Peach Tree! It brought back wonderful memories. Thank You!
Thanks, Maria. I have wonderful memories too — of my dad’s ‘Alberta’ peach tree. They were the best peaches I ever tasted.
Christina Kobland recently posted..Backyard Life
Luv this article. On my little piece of paradise, i kind of let nature do her own thing. I find surprises almost every day, though no peaches but plenty of wild edible berries since we allowed nature to take over a bit. Wildlife is happy too!
NF– Yes, I agree. The surprises from wildlife gardening are around every corner and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They are my greatest joy!
Christina Kobland recently posted..Backyard Life
Christina, What fun! I had the same experience, though my seedlings are only a foot tall. I’ve been putting peaches our for butterflies for years. I get from the local farm stand .. their bruised or “going bad” peaches. They now save them for me (I’m “the butterfly lady). I put some in hanging dishes and others right on the ground (especially when they have a spackle bucket full of them for me). For the last few springs I’ve had tree seedlings coming up that totally stumped me . . . couldn’t figure out what on earth they were. A botany friend popped over and put a name to them. A big “ah ha!” since each spot they were coming up was where I’d been dumping mountains of peaches over time. So, enjoy your juicy peaches. Yum!!!
Pat Sutton recently posted..Painted Lady Explosion – September 2012
Pat– Great to hear about your efforts. Thank you form your kindness toward the wildlife.
Since this happened I’ve tried propogating peach and plum seeds, to no avail. Perhaps they have to pass through the gut of an animal first, or through a winter’s frost? I often wondered the same about our native walnuts. They do come up on my property, but never when I ‘plant’ them.
Christina Kobland recently posted..Backyard Life
I cannot tell you how many peach pits I have planted a child wanted a peach tree. I wonder if any ever grew and someone is eating my peaches…wish they were hardy here as I would plant one or just through it on the compost pile with a wish!
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..A Bloom Day Anniversary
Donna, Not sure where you are, but I’m in SE PA and it does get mighty cold here most winters. Yet peach trees weather the climate well. Like I just replied above, I haven’t had any luck yet with ‘intentional’ propogating. Thanks for writing.
Christina Kobland recently posted..Backyard Life
I do the same thing and have had an amazing array of things that have come up. We’ve harvested onions from one flower bed that I can only attribute to having used some onion greens from onions where the bulbs had gone bitter. Now that they are there though, they are pretty, bloom and reproduce enough to harvest some and leave others to be a part of that garden. I had potatoes come up on my hillside from some old ones that had gone rotten. They did extremely well. I also have rosemary that has come up in a number of places from tossing out a couple of trimmings that apparently had roots. Sometimes these plants choose better places to live than I could have for them.
Alison Pockat recently posted..Fall Seeding Considerations
Alison, That’s so interesting! Its always fun to eat from the garden.