Peaches may not be the first crop that comes to mind when you think of Wisconsin, but they’re thriving this year at Creek Bed Farmacy in Poynette. Farmer Julie Schoeneberg says growing peaches in the north can be both rewarding and challenging.
“It’s because we have a couple of varieties that like the cold. They’re cold-hardy peaches,” she explains. “We actually grow nine varieties. Not all of them come up every year.”
Peach trees require a certain number of “chill units” — hours between 32 and 45 degrees — to go dormant and set buds. Schoeneberg says southern Wisconsin and some microclimates around the state provide the right conditions.
“We have a really nice rolling hill landscape around our farm, so our peaches do well on that slope,” she says. “They like dry feet, so it works really well.”
Last year’s crop was wiped out when an unusually warm start to winter prevented the buds from going dormant. The buds were in a fragile state when the warm weather was followed by a sudden deep freeze. The trees survived, but there were no peaches.
This year was a different story, Schoeneberg says.
“It was a perfect winter… the trees did really well. We have an abundant crop of peaches.”
Maintaining healthy trees takes year-round effort, from balancing soil nutrients to pruning for air flow and sunlight. Schoeneberg explains that her family starts pruning in late March to early April. It improves the sunlight and air flow.
“Daryl and I get ‘his and hers’ electric pruners for Christmas sometimes,” she says with a smile. “We spend a lot of time in that orchard.”
For those eager to try a homegrown peach, Creek Bed Farmacy offers U-Pick opportunities and fresh peach orders during harvest: https://www.creekbedfarmacy.com/
