If you want to grow your own fruit but are limited for outside space, a peach tree could be the perfect option. Gardener Ish, who is known to his 44,700 TikTok followers as @gardening.with.ish, explained that he would be planting the ‘patio peach crimson’.
This has “lovely red crimson-coloured leaf but still has that orange peach”, which presents an amazing contrast of colours for your garden. This is a bare root variety, which means it is “super easy” to plant directly into the ground, or in a pot for those with a patio or smaller garden space. If you buy a bare root tree and it comes slightly dry, you can “pop it in a bowl of water for about two-to-three hours to rehydrate them”, Ish explained.
When planting the peach trees, you will usually see the original soil line. Ish said you can plant it at exactly that line and give it a “good amount of well-rotted compost around these roots to give them a good kick-start”.
A peach tree will need drainage and good compost – so choose a pot with big draining holes in the bottom and opt for a free-draining compost with a slow-releasing feed.
Ish said: “If you’re trying to get all the soil around the roots just chuck it in and lightly shake the plant – all the loose soil will drop in between the roots and sit nice and compact and keep it nice and happy.”
Once the soil is in, make sure to firmly press it down and give it a “really, really good water”. Over the next few weeks, it will start to show signs of leaves and blossom, Ish told followers.
He said: “You’re probably not going to get the peaches this year, but next year you should see signs of peaches. Pop this in a nice, sunny spot and it will absolutely thrive.”
These trees are winter hardy as they lay dormant in the winter. Ish said: “If there’s any risk of frost when they blossom they can be a little bit less hardy but a bit of fleece for good measure helps.”
The Royal Horticultural Society said that the trees can grow up to 1-1.5 metres tall and 1-1.5 metres wide – and it can take between 5-10 years for them to reach full-growth.
It explained that these are great for city and courtyard gardens, cottages, and thrive in containers – making them work for patios, too.
These trees could be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite and aphids, and squirrels and birds could cause damage to the fruit. In terms of disease, the trees could be at risk of peach leaf curl, bacterial canker, silver leaf, brown rot, and replant diseases, RHS said.
