Welcome to this post that will discuss when the best time is to be harvesting peaches. If you are growing and caring for your tree you don’t want to stumble on the finishing line and pick them when they aren’t ready yet. In this article, we will discuss some of the signs to look out for, and what the best weather is to pick them in. We will also include a short segment on how you can best store them after being harvested.
Peaches are generally speaking the best when they are ripened in August to September when the weather is warm and they can get that perfect ratio of sugar and freshness. Follow along and well together discover this fantastic fruit.
If you want to read our guide that covers almost all the questions about growing peaches then we have the perfect article for you. Find it here, How To Grow A Peach Tree.
When To Pick Peaches
The best time to pick peaches will be when they are ripe of course. We do not recommend picking the peaches and then letting them ripen indoors for a few days. They will taste a lot better if you eat them the same day or even right away. Fresh is best, that’s something we are certain about.
How do you then know if the peaches are perfectly ripe to be picked? The best indicator is the feel of them when you touch them. They should not be too firm and should give way when you lightly press them. This will show that their flesh of them is tender and has managed to develop enough sugars to be like the perfect expression of a peach.
Another thing we like to look at when picking peaches is the weather. There really is nothing better than having a peach that is still warm from the sun when you bite into it. So matching both a perfectly soft peach with the warm sun shining on it will make for a wonderful experience.
We will finish off this small segment here with a tip that you can hold off watering the tree the last few weeks before harvesting. This will help intensify the flavors a bit more in the fruit. You don’t have to worry about the tree not surviving. It will be just fine. But with this deficit of water, the tree has to struggle a bit more and then the sugars will concentrate in the tree. An excess of water for the tree will be displayed in the fruit as well.
If you want to learn about when the best time of the year is to take cuttings and propagate them then we have the perfect article for you. Here we will discuss how you can multiply your peach trees growing at home. Find it here, How To Take Cuttings From Peach Trees.
Do Peaches Ripen Further After Picking
Peaches will continue to ripen after you have picked them. The speed of this process will vary depending on the storage that you choose for them. Leaving them in a closed box outside at room temperature will actually speed up this process. The reason for this is that they release a chemical that helps in ripening the fruit. This doesn’t stop after you pick them and all that “gas” is staying in the box. As it stays there the fruits will ripen more quicker.
But we never recommend picking the peaches to then have them ripening in a box like this. The best way will always be to pick them up from the tree once they are ready.
Storing the fruits the right way is also important. As they can be very soft when they are perfectly ripe you don’t want them laying on each other too much as that will make them start molding more quicker. Keep them laying one by one on a flat tray with some paper in the bottom to drain up any excess moisture that might be there.
If you want to learn more about growing a peach tree from seed then we actually have a dedicated article for just that. You can find it here, How To Grow A Peach Tree From Seed.
What To Do With Peaches That Are Not Ripe
The best thing to do with peaches that aren’t ripe is to let them hang on the tree until they get ripe. but have you instead bought peaches that have not ripened fully yet then there are a few tricks you can make use of.
The best one we have found to quickly ripen them is to leave them outside in a closed container with some paper in the bottom. This will make all the gasses the fruits releases ripen themselves and stay in the box. As they stay in there longer or around the fruit they will of course ripen faster. Usually, this process only really takes between 2 – 3 days if they aren’t extremely underripe.
Let’s summarize a bit on what we have been discussing here on when the best time is to pick peaches. We find that the most delicious peaches are those that are soft to the touch. The best time to pick them is when the texture is like that, but also when the weather is warm outside and the sun is shining.
Peaches still warm from the sun when you bite into them is an experience in and of itself. After you have picked the peaches then the best storage for them will be in a dry container to keep away outside, the enemy of storing fruits and vegetables.
The time the peaches take to ripen on the tree will depend a bit on where you live of course. In this article here we go deeper into how long it takes. Find it here, How Long Do Peaches Take To Ripen Off The Tree?
