Peaches · 2027 season
Elberta Peach Tree
Prunus persica
Self-fertileRich, sweet, old-time freestone peach for eating and canning.
- #7 container
- About 1.25" caliper
Pick up in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March. Pay cash, check, Venmo or PayPal at pickup.
Elberta is the old-time American peach, a Georgia variety from the 1870s that was the country's main commercial peach for decades.
The peaches are large and golden-yellow with a red blush, freestone and sweet. They're the classic canning and preserving peach, and wonderful fresh too.
It ripens later than most, extending the peach season.
Elberta grew from a seedling planted in 1870 by Samuel Rumph near Marshallville, Georgia, and he named it for his wife, Clara Elberta. In South Jersey it ripens about four weeks after Red Haven.
How it tastes
Rich, sweet, old-fashioned peach flavor. The yellow flesh is firm, which is why it holds up so well in canning and baking.
At a glance
- You get
- #7 container, about 1.25" caliper (trunk thickness 6 inches above the soil; each tree varies a little)
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5–8 (Salem County is 7)
- Blooms
- Spring
- Ripens
- Late August
- Starts bearing
- Usually 2–3 years after planting
- Mature size
- About 12–15 ft with regular pruning
- Pollination
- Self-fertile
- Botanical name
- Prunus persica
- Price
- $88 each, paid at pickup
- Pickup
- Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March
The fruit
- Looks
- Large, golden-yellow with a red blush, yellow flesh; freestone
- Flavor
- Sweet; the classic canning peach
- Best for
- Canning, Fresh, Freezing
- Keeps
- Firm; keeps and travels well
Pollination
Self-fertile. One tree will fruit on its own.
Growing tips
Watch for: Bacterial spot, brown rot and leaf curl all need routine control
- Full sun and well-drained soil. Peaches are some of the easiest fruit trees to get started and bear young.
- Spray once while dormant (late winter) to prevent peach leaf curl, the most common peach problem.
- Thin the fruit to 6–8 inches apart in late spring. It feels wasteful, but it's how you get big peaches and avoid broken branches.
- Prune every year to an open, vase-like shape. Peaches fruit on last year's growth.
Spray schedule: Peach and Nectarine Pest Control Schedule for New Jersey Home Orchards (Rutgers Cooperative Extension, fact sheet FS113)
New to planting fruit trees? Read our step-by-step planting guide: square hole, graft above the soil, native soil, and no fruit for the first two years.
Photos show the variety, not the exact plant you’ll get. Reservations are for the 2027 season, picked up at our farm in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March, and aren’t guaranteed until we confirm them. Questions? Ask us or call or text (856) 345‑4538.
