Choosing a peach tree.

So I've decided to grow some friut trees. Three apple (Gala, Mac., for DH, and a good keeper like golden delicous) and two peach. The problem is that I have no idea what kind of peach trees to get. You go to a farmer's stand and you find crates of all different kinds of apples during apple season so you can conduct your taste test and find your favorite variety (Gala in my case). But during peach season all I find are "Peaches". Now I love a good peach. Nothing is better than a sweat ripe, juicey, and tender peach. But when they get mealy or are hard- blech! I can be quite picky about my peaches. But I don't know what peaches I'm eating, so how can I know what to plant?

So, anyone have suggestions of their favorite eating peach for me? Or cooking? (Pies will be made!) For zone 6.

Peaches are all pretty good when ripened in your backyard, and the flavor spectrum is more narrow than apples so people don't make a big deal out of variety. I do think some are better than others but the ones I have found to stand out are not commonly available so that information may be of limited value. Some good ones I like include O'Henry, Winblo, Carolina Gold, Red Baron, Veteran, Indian Cling or Free, etc.

Scott

Peaches, in reality the only choices you have are not flavors since there really isn't much of a difference between varieties - but bud hardiness and riping time.

I live in a cold area where the temps can dip below zero in the winter, so bud hardiness is important to me. So the peach tree I do have is of a common commercial variety called "Rising Star". Flavor and fruit set is excellent. That and the rest of the "stellar" varieties of peaches can be purchased over the phone - D Mail me if you want names and phone numbers for the nurseries that I buy from. They are located here in Washington State though, but prices are very cheap even with shipping since they are the growers instead of a retail nursery - around $15-$20 total to send a single tree anywhere in the mainland US if you are a backyard grower.

I also know someone who has an Early Elberta in a colder spot than my location and successfully produces enough bushels of peaches every year to make gallons of peach wine.

And in regards to the peaches being as hard as a rock, unfortunately commercially they are picked under-ripe so they can be shipped around the world without being bruised, smashed and rotted (basically the same problem as we have with Red Delicious - the older strains like I have actually are a decent apple picked after a good hard frost, but by then they are too soft to ship)

Actually peaches vary widely in both flavor and texture. My favorites are the white fleshed cultivars like Georgia Belle, Carolina Belle etc. Peaches designed for shipping are hard, no matter how tree ripened. A good soft fleshed yellow freestone is the Redskin, but it is purely local as it is very soft fleshed. And don't overlook clings, most of them have have more intense flavor than freestones.

I've had very good luck with later blooming, good fruit set, and altogether a healthy tree with the Reliance peach...flesh is not tough, stringy or dry, seems borer resistant, and easy to pick...