How to Grow Delicious Donut Peaches in Your Own Backyard

Donut peaches, also known as Saturn peaches or doughnut peaches, are a unique variety of peach with a distinctive flat, round shape resembling a doughnut. Their sweet, juicy flesh has a delicious floral aroma and they are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, pies and more. Though not as commonly found in stores as conventional peaches, growing donut peaches at home is an enjoyable gardening project that yields delicious fruit. Here is a complete guide to successfully growing donut peaches in your own backyard.

Overview of Donut Peaches

Donut peaches are classified as stone fruits along with plums, cherries, apricots and conventional peaches. They originated in China and their intriguing shape is the result of a genetic mutation. Donut peaches are self-pollinating so only one tree is needed to produce fruit. The trees reach 15-20 feet tall at maturity and begin fruiting 2-4 years after planting. Each tree yields 20-50 pounds of fruit per year when mature.

Compared to regular peaches, donut peaches are smaller in size, averaging 2-3 inches in diameter. They ripen earlier, usually in July or August depending on your climate. The flesh is sweet and juicy with 13-15% sugar content. Donut peaches have a soft, velvety skin that ranges in color from golden yellow to deep orange-red. The unique flattened shape allows for lots of surface area to enjoy their wonderful peachy flavor.

Selecting a Donut Peach Variety

There are several excellent donut peach cultivars to choose from when planning your backyard orchard. Some popular varieties include:

• Sweet Cap Reliably produces very sweet, flavorful orange fruits in early summer. Ideal for warm climates.

• Saturn One of the most widely available varieties Bears abundantly and ripens early-mid season. Red-skinned fruit with firm yellow flesh.

• Golden Sweet: Large-sized donut peaches with bright golden skin and superb flavor. Ripens late July/early August. Great for cooler areas.

• Honey Babe: Super sweet, juicy peaches ripen very early in the season. Small-sized fruit with bright orange skin.

• Sweet September: Medium-sized fruit ripens late in peach season. Red skin over firm yellow flesh. Highly productive.

Consider your local growing conditions when selecting a donut peach variety to plant. Early ripening cultivars are best for cooler climates with shorter growing seasons. Look for later varieties if you live in a warm climate with a longer season.

Planting Donut Peach Trees

Donut peach trees thrive with full sun exposure and well-drained soil. They prefer a soil pH between 6.0-7.0. Space trees 15-20 feet apart in the orchard to allow for growth. Dig a hole slightly deeper and twice as wide as the root ball. Place the tree in the hole and backfill with original soil, tamping down gently to remove air pockets. Water thoroughly after planting.

Spring is the ideal time to plant bare root trees before growth starts. Container-grown trees can be planted spring through fall as long as you provide attentive care while the tree establishes. Apply a balanced fertilizer or compost around trees in early spring when growth resumes.

Caring for Donut Peach Trees

Donut peach trees require attentive care and pruning during the first few years to develop a strong framework. Once established, they are relatively low maintenance. Follow these tips for growing healthy, productive donut peach trees:

• Watering: Supply 1-2 inches of water per week. Water at the base avoiding wetting leaves and fruit which can encourage disease.

• Fertilizing: Feed trees in early spring with compost or balanced fertilizer. Avoid high-nitrogen mixes which reduce fruiting.

• Pruning: Prune to an open vase shape, removing inward facing branches and water sprouts. Thin crowded branches annually to allow light penetration.

• Pollination: Donut peach varieties are self-fruitful so only one tree is needed. But planting different varieties can extend the harvest.

• Pest management: Apply horticultural oil dormant spray for peach leaf curl. Monitor for borers, aphids, fruit flies and other common peach pests.

• Winter care: In cold climates, wrap trunks and scaffold branches to protect from winter damage. Apply mulch around the base for insulation.

Harvesting Perfectly Ripe Donut Peaches

One of the best parts of growing donut peaches is enjoying harvest time! Use these picking tips to collect tree-ripened fruit at perfect sweetness:

• Harvest donut peaches when background color changes from green to yellow or orange depending on variety.

• Give fruit a gentle lift when ripe. It should release easily from the branch.

• Aroma is the best indicator of ripeness. Ripe donut peaches will have a strong floral, peachy scent.

• Sample taste a peach to confirm sweet, juicy flavor. The flesh should give slightly when squeezed gently.

• Handle fruit carefully to avoid bruising. Use scissors for a clean break rather than pulling.

• Enjoy fresh or store ripe fruit in refrigerator up to 5 days. Peaches stop ripening once picked.

Donut peaches are delicious eaten out-of-hand but also ideal for baking, sauces, jams, freezing and canning. Their compact shape makes them perfect for slipping into lunch boxes or displaying in fruit bowls. Extend the harvest by preserving excess fruit.

Tips for Growing Successful Donut Peach Trees

• Choose disease-resistant, cold-hardy varieties suited for your climate.

• Plant in spring for best establishment. Fall planting works in mild climates.

• Prune annually to shape trees and allow light penetration. Thin crowded branches.

• Apply compost or balanced fertilizer in early spring when growth resumes.

• Install bird netting over trees as fruit ripens to prevent loss. Deer fencing may be needed too.

• Pick fruit at perfect ripeness for the best flavor. Enjoy immediately or preserve surplus.

• In cold climates, protect trunks from winter damage. Mulch the root zone for insulation.

With proper selection, planting, care and harvesting, you can grow buckets of sweet, juicy donut peaches in your backyard orchard. The unique tree-ripened flavor and intriguing shape make donut peaches a fun gardening adventure.