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Contender Peach Tree
Description
About the Contender Peach Tree
The Contender peach is known for being cold-hardy and having excellent disease resistance. Developed in Raleigh, NC, it was introduced in 1988. It is part of the peach tree family, prunus persica.
Grow peaches in regions where temperatures fall well below zero! This exceptionally hardy variety is perfect for northern orchards. It consistently yields large crops of sweet, juicy medium-to-large fruit.
The yellow flesh is perfect for eating fresh, canning, or freezing. It is a freestone peach (also known as a melting peach,) meaning the flesh separates easily from the peach pit.
The tree blooms with an abundance of showing pink blossoms in the spring. It is self-pollinating, but adding another pollinator nearby may increase the size of your crop.
Enjoying the Fruit
These peaches are medium to large and non-browning! They are delicious to eat fresh and perfect for home preservation. Enjoy peach pies, cobbler, ice cream, and more.
Peaches are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. They also contain vitamin A and beta-carotene.
Growing Contender Peach Trees
These fruit trees need full sun and well-drained soil. To produce the best fruit, peach trees should be pruned, and the fruit should be thinned.
Contender peaches have excellent resistance to bacterial leaf spot. This tree requires 1000 chill hours during the winter, meaning it needs that number of hours between 32° and 45° F to go dormant and properly set fruit in the spring. See below to view this plant’s USDA zone compatibility.
Buy a Contender Peach tree to enjoy growing peaches that are cold-hardy and disease resistant.
Survival Guaranteed!
Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.
Characteristics
| Bloom Color | Pink |
| Bloom Time | Late |
| Chill Hours | 1000 |
| Fruit Color | Red |
| Fruit Size | Medium - Large |
| Hardiness Zone Range | 4 - 8 |
| Pollination | Self-Pollinating |
| Ripens/Harvest | August |
| Shade/Sun | Full Sun |
| Soil Composition | Loamy |
| Soil Moisture | Well Drained - Average Moistness |
| Soil pH Level | 6.0 - 7.0 |
| Taste | Sweet |
| Texture | Firm |
| Years to Bear | 2 - 4 |
Size & Spacing
Mature Size
Recommended Spacing
Zone Compatibility
Pollination
This variety is self pollinating.
Related Assortments
Available in this money-saving assortment
We bundle many of our popular products in assortments with other items that compliment each other. Plus, when you purchase an assortment, you save money compared to buying each item individually!
Tools & Supplies
Planting & Care
Learn all about how to grow peach trees in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.
Shipping Information
Arrives when it's time to plant
Questions & Answers
Reliance Peach Tree is a good companion.
It depends, do you have frequent cold snaps -20 degree or colder that might damage the tree? Do you have frequent late frosts throughout the bloom months of April and May that will damage blossoms? Do you have a protected space next to a heated area, like the Southside of a house near the fireplace or furnace vent that might mitigate the first two questions? Would you build a mini greenhouse to help protect it? What does your summer look like short though it may be? Is it hot and dry like eastern Washington state or wet and cool like Maine? Peaches can produce in Canada and northern United States if you give them the best chance location wise and a little luck with spring weather. But there is a reason most peaches are grown between New Jersey and Georgia, they don't need to worry about the weather much. You could always consider keeping it in a very large pot on wheels if you have space in a garage, barn or greenhouse. Be sure to pick a dwarf rootstock if you try to pot it.
I have had no trouble that required spraying. However, you might consider preventive treatments on the soil and trunk against peach tree borers.
For me, the real pest of peaches has been ants, harvesting chunks out of fully ripe peaches. The best solution for this is to pick the peaches JUST BEFORE they're fully ripe, and let them ripen indoors.
I have one in my Northeast Minneapolis garden and it's doing great! Lots of fruit too
The seed may grow but it will not be the same as the grafted tree. The rootstock makes the tree both smaller and hardier.
The only experience I've had with my 36 Stark fruit trees having split bark is when we have had a very erratic Spring, with severe freezing and thawing
many times. I learned to paint the trees about Thanksgiving in Kentucky
with half water and half white interior flat paint. This helps keep the tree
bark from splitting in severe winters. When the trees experience very low
temperatures, then the next day the sun comes out and melts the ice, it
causes the bark to split. Painting definitely helps prevent splitting from this
freeze - thaw cycle.
We appreciate you reaching out to us. We use several different rootstocks, depending upon the desired result and what is available. For that reason, we're unable to guarantee a specific rootstock. But yes the standard is typically on a lovel.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
We appreciate you reaching out to us. Peaches are self pollinating and do not require another variety to bear fruit. However planting a second variety will increase your crop yield.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
Hi Kathleen, Our website has a special feature that will help you find the best plants for you to grow in your area. Simply enter your zip code in our Hardiness Zone Finder and as you browse our page, you’ll see a small check mark next to products that are hardy to your growing zone!
https://www.starkbros.com/zone-finder
We appreciate you reaching out to us. You can find the years-to-bear information in the Characteristics section, near the top of the page, underneath the description. This tree takes 2-4 years to bear.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
Customer Reviews
I can't wait to see it bear fruit, hopefully next year.
Grows in my plant zone, and is freestone
Recommended by Rachel at Daily Harvest for growing in Wisconsin.
Wanted a peach tree
It will be perfect for northern New Mexico with the freezing temperatures,and will be late blooming. It will be a pollinator for the Contender peach