Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: 'Contender' peach

Family: Rosaceae (Rose)

Distribution: Cultivated

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5 (-20 to -10 °F)

Life form: Deciduous tree

Occurrence in New Mexico: Cultivar

Growing Conditions: For maximum fruit production, fruit trees should not be planted in low areas where cold air accumulates. They can be planted in protected sites such as within enclosed walls or near buildings, but can be adversely affected by temperature extremes near a west façade. Planting on a north-facing slope or on the north side of a building may delay flowering and minimize effects of winter sun on buds, but full sun is needed during the growing season for fruit production. The ‘Contender’ peach tree is self-fertile and does not need a pollinator. Bare root or dormant trees should be planted in winter in compost-amended, well-drained soil. Trees should be planted with the graft union 2- 5 inches above the soil level. Wrapping or painting the trunk with diluted white latex exterior paint or kaolin clay reduces winter sunscald. Peaches have a high nutrient requirement, needing more nitrogen than most fruit trees. They should be fertilized in early spring. Staking can provide stability to a young tree, but should not interfere with its natural capacity to resist wind. During the first year, water often enough to keep the soil moist, but avoid over-watering and soggy soil. After the first year, water less frequently but increase the volume. Peaches need heavy and aggressive thinning early in the season for best fruit size.

Description: ‘Contender’ is a vigorous, semi-upright peach tree with bright green, lance-shaped, finely toothed leaves that turn orange in autumn. The fragrant, deep pink, 5-petaled flowers form either singly or as pairs on 1-year-old wood prior to the tree leafing out. It is self-pollinating and produces a heavy crop of sweet, juicy, freestone fruit with yellow or white flesh and fuzzy skin in mid-season. This variety needs about 1050 chilling hours to break bud dormancy, so it is not appropriate for southern areas that have 200-500 chill hours. The ‘Contender’ peach at SFBG is grafted onto a Bailey rootstock, which confers some degree of hardiness and develops an extensive root system in sandy and sandy loam soils, but has little effect on the size of the tree. Like other peach trees, it is relatively short-lived (10-15 years). This cultivar is moderately resistant to bacteria spot.