Prune prune prune... The tree has become too tall... If that tree was mine, I'd chop it back and get some much lower branches started. Peaches respond pretty quickly to a heavy haircut. Your tree may snap if those fruit get much bigger.

I should have clarified that picture is only one branch, the top 5 feet of a 20 foot tree. The tree itself is more than twice as wide as it is tall, but we've got a construction fence on one side, a lilac on another, a building on a third, and a small walkway on the fourth, and I can't get a good picture of the whole tree.

It definetly needs expert pruining, tho'. We've tried; cutting out the crossing branches, keeping to the basic vase shape the books seem to recommend. But every year, despite pulling off nearly half the peaches as they form, we still have bowed branches. (I'm going to try "raking" off more of the peaches at the top this weekend.)

I don't know how to limit the fruit to the thicker branches; do we cut off all the little side branches in the fall? In the spring? Put big crutches underneath the branches?

We're all quite fond of this tree, which was planted in memery of a colleague who passed away, and we'd like t to do well.

Thanks!