"An apple is an excellent thing, until you have tried a peach." George du Maurier (1834 — 1896)
To help you choose: Select slightly under ripe peaches for picking Select firm-ripe peaches for canning and drying Select fully ripe peaches for freezing or eating fresh Select very ripe peaches without any sign of mold for making sweet spreads

Clingstone — Great for jams, jellies and pickled peaches

Semi-Free — Almost ready to pop around from the seed

Freestone — Great for eating, freezing and making delicious recipes

Below are our wide choice of varieties and the dates available:

Clingstone

Flavorich	May 15-25
Sunbrite	May 18-25
Springprince	May 18-25
Carored	May 16-26
Goldprince	May 20- June 1

Semi-Free

Rubyprince	June 1-10
Gala	June 11-15
Sureprince	June 10-20

Freestone

Harvester	June 13-20
Majestic	June 23-July 7
Red Globe	June 26-July 7
Scarletprince	June 26-July 7
Fireprince	June 27-July 8
Contender	June 30-July 10
Early Augprince	July 4-15
Sunprince	July 8-18
Summerlady	July 9-19
O'Henry	July 22-August 3
Flameprince	August 1-10

 

History of Georgia Peach Production

The first known peach was mentioned in Chinese literature as early as 551 B.C.  Culture of peaches moved from China to Persia and eventually to Rome and then throughout Europe.

Spaniards introduced the peach to North America in the 16^th Century.  When English settlers arrived they thought the peach was native to this country because it was found growing abundantly around Indian villages. 

Georgia peach production began between 1870 and 1875.  At that time there were only a few varieties that would grow well in the South.  A farmer could only be profitable if he were able to sell the crop to commercial markets in the North.  During these years several new varieties were developed that ripen in late May or early June and improved transportation prompted marketing attempts in northern cities.  At first, steamships were used to transport the fresh peaches to their markets. However, rail service was much better and enhanced the chances of the peaches arriving in top condition.

Samuel H. Rumph, a Marshallville, Georgia native, is considered the originator of Georgia's commercial peach industry.  A noted horticulturist, he developed the Elberta peach (named for his wife) in 1870 at Willow Lake Nursery near Marshallville.  In 1875 he also developed a peach shipping refrigerator and the rigid mortised-end peach crate.  These inventions made practical the safe transit of fresh peaches to markets outside Georgia.  Mr. Rumph also contributed to the success of the  peach industry with the design of a box on casters, which held six crates of peaches and ice.  These were loaded in boxcars, shipped to port and loaded on coastwise steamers for New York.  He later conceived the idea of a railcar that would haul many crates of peaches with ice bunkers at each end. Mr. Rumph shared this idea with the railroad companies without asking for a royalty.  It was indicative of his unselfish character to have never patented his models.  With this development peach growing expanded rapidly in Central Georgia.  The first considerable volume of Elbertas on the New York market created a sensation with their color, size and quality.  Elberta was the most widely planted of any variety ever introduced, being grown in every peach producing area of the world.

 Today Georgia now produces more than 40 commercial peach varieties, which are divided into two general categories: clingstone and freestone.  Although Georgia is named the Peach State, it actually ranks third in U.S. peach production after California and South Carolina. In 2006, the Georgia peach crop produced 110 million pounds, which grossed $30 million in revenue.