Movin' to the Country, Gonna Eat a lot of Peaches

Our shipment from Miller Nurseries arrived this week, which means our (very small) peach orchard was planted yesterday next to Better Farm's main garden.

We went with two Reliance Dwarf Peach Trees,which were developed by plant breeders at the University of New Hampshire and can survive and produce delicious fruit even after temperatures hit -25 degrees below zero. The first actual text of this tree's moxy was in the winter of 1961-62, when the "test tree" was subjected to -25 degrees and then managed to produce a bushel of fruit. The peaches from Reliance Dwarf Peach Trees are medium to large, with round, red cheeks splashed over a yellow skin. The stone will not cling, even in the coldest, driest seasons. And the reliance pit is smaller than any other peach. Fruit ripens in mid-August.

Sounds too good to be true, no?

I soaked the saplings in water for an hour while I dug out the holes (10-12 feet apart) and got the peat moss, hay, and topsoil mixture ready; then planted the trees between the garden and Cottage Hill Road. The mature peach trees will be between 8 and 10 feet.

We also ordered a weeping willow, which I planted at the far end of the pond out back. Now to just keep an eye on the babies, make sure they've got plenty of water, and start researching delicious peach cobbler recipes.

Miller Nurseries is a family-owned and operated company in Canandaigua, N.Y., that's been in business since 1936. For more information, click here.