Nurseries
Different nurseries across United States offer multiple varieties adapted to Georgia conditions. For available varieties, please check nursery websites or call for up-to-date information. Orders are normally submitted from May to June for trees to be delivered for spring of the following year. Make sure that the nursery understands your location, chilling requirement, and the type of fruit that you want. They probably can suggest the best varieties and rootstock to be used in your location.
Some of the most common nurseries used by the peach industry are as follows:
Varieties
Most peach nursery catalogs use information such as: variety, rootstock, flesh color, stone freeness (cling, free, or semi-free), chilling requirement hours, and ripening season (days before or after ‘Elberta’ cultivar). In the case of ripening, most nurseries in the US use ‘Elberta’ peach as the ripening standard. The rootstock availability depends on the nursery.
| Variety | Approx. Ripening Date | Flesh Color | Stone Freeness | Chilling Hours | Days Before (-) and after (+) Elberta |
| Gulfking* | May 1-10 | Yellow | Cling | 350 | -57 |
| Flavorich | May 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 700 | -64 |
| Flordacrest | May 11-20 | Yellow | Semi - Free | 425 | -55 |
| Springprince | May 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 650 | -51 |
| Carored | May 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 650 | -51 |
| Crimson Lady | May 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 700 | -51 |
| Goldprince | June 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 650 | -49 |
| Gulfcrimson* | June 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 400 | -47 |
| Junegold | June 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 650 | -47 |
| Gulfcrest* | Yellow | Cling | 500 | -45 | |
| Rubyprince | June 11-20 | Yellow | Cling | 850 | -44 |
| Gulfprince* | Yellow | Cling | 400 | -41 | |
| Coronet | June 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 750 | -39 |
| Juneprince | June 11-20 | Yellow | Semi-Free | 650 | -38 |
| Sureprince | June 21-30 | Yellow | Semi-Free | 950 | -35 |
| Gala | June 21-30 | Yellow | Semi-Free | 700 | -34 |
| Redhaven | June 21-30 | Yellow | Semi-Free | 950 | -28 |
| Caroking | June 21-30 | Yellow | Semi-Free | 850 | -26 |
| Harvester | June 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 750 | -21 |
| Cary Mac | June 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 750 | -20 |
| Galactica | June 21-30 | White | Peento | 800 | -20 |
| Fireprince | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -20 |
| Blazeprince | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -19 |
| Winblo | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -15 |
| Redglobe | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -13 |
| Scarletprince | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -13 |
| Majestic | July 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 800 | -12 |
| Bounty | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 800 | -12 |
| Loring | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 800 | -12 |
| Julyprince | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -8 |
| Contender | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 1050 | -7 |
| Ruston Red | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -5 |
| Cresthaven | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -3 |
| Dixiland | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 750 | -3 |
| Belle of Georgia | July 11-20 | White | Free | 850 | -3 |
| Early Augustprince | July 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 850 | -2 |
| Sunprince | July 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 800 | -2 |
| Jersey Queen | July 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 850 | 0 |
| Elberta | July 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 850 | +0 |
| China Pearl | July 21-30 | White | Free | 1100 | +4 |
| Augustprince | July 21-30 | Yellow | Free | 850 | +5 |
| Monroe | Aug 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | +8 |
| O'Henry | Aug 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 750 | +13 |
| Flameprince | Aug 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 850 | +14 |
| Big Red | Aug 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 750 | +22 |
| Autumnprince | Sep 1-10 | Yellow | Free | 800 | +30 |
| Fairtime | Sep 11-20 | Yellow | Free | 750 | +35 |
*Low chill varieties. Table modified from Freedom Tree Farms and Cumberland Valley Nursery catalogs.
Maturity Charts
Each nursery has a maturity chart for their peach varieties. The ripening dates within each maturity chart are applicable to a location (denoted within each maturity chart). Always ask the nursery for an estimated ripening date for the peach variety that you are interested for your location.
- Adams County Nursery, Inc. maturity chart
- Burchell Nursery maturity chart
- Vaughn Nursery maturity chart
Variety Evaluations
Breeders, nurseries, and universities have historical peach variety evaluation data that can allow you to make a better decision when deciding for the peach varieties to plant. One site that compiles historical evaluation data for multiple locations is curated by Clemson University.