Why are my peaches small even though I thin the fruit?
Thinning is exactly what you do to avoid undersized fruit, so if your peaches are still small in spite of your efforts you may need to tweak how and when you're thinning your crop.
I remember reading once that for optimal fruit size you need to thin your crop so that there are approximately fifty leaves for every peach on your tree. I've often wondered what sane person knows how many leaves there are on his/her peach tree and if that “sane” person also knows how many blades of grass there are in his/her lawn.
For peaches to attain their optimal size, start thinning them when the developing fruit is the size of a thimble, leaving one peach in every cluster. When the fruit is the size of a walnut, further thin things out so that you're left with one peach every eight to ten inches.
If that doesn’t work, you may need to thin your peaches so that they’re even further apart, prune out some limbs, or have your soil tested for nutrient deficiencies.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
Originally published in the Creston Valley Advance.
