I think I will do that with one of them, at least until it gets too cold. thanks

Does it get colder than minus 30 in the greenhouse?

I never measured, but every year we do not empty the radiator that the hot water circulates thru, we just build a styrofoam lined box around it. I am thinking that I might be able to build a small shelter within the greenhouse that takes advantage of some of the warmth that comes off this box. Of course I will have to monitor it so they stay at the right temp.

My mistake was similar. If it gets to warm come spring they will be dead

Thanks matt, I will take note of that and watch closely both the high and low temps. My sister in law has an empress peach she wants to live in the house all winter and I am pretty sure this will not work. The things we gardeners will do just to push the boundaries and get something different Eh? But I think the best research is done by passionate home growers who are willing to push the boundaries. The failures are just as valuable as the successes. I am amazed at the intelligent information that is supplied by the growers on this thread, I surf it and am slowly getting thru reading all the old posts. I am humbled by the quality of knowledge, I have lots to learn, Thanks.

I bought an empress peach tree as well, could not resist. My plan is to dig a trench in the garden and lay the tree and pot on its side and bury it (not too deep). In recent years I tried this method with chicago fig in a pot, and dawn redwood in a pot, and it seems to offer some benefit. I read of some people growing peaches in cold climates as very low to the ground espalier type trees. The idea is to grow them along the ground so that they can be covered by snow easily over winter. Anyway, good luck everyone!

They actually sell these out there

Here they were sold at Superstore garden centre, as a novelty container patio plant.

I am trying the low espalier method with my heirloom apple grafts, doing a "step over" fence along the garden.

Glen, keep us posted on how this works for you as I am sure that we are not the only ones who have bought these. Both of my peaches have finally gone into dormancy, I am going to keep records of what I did and when, otherwise I will not remember for next year.

Good Luck

It's funny these are sold as novelty like tropical plants a few provinces over and they survive Kelowna and colder areas no problem and they usually get minus 35 a few times per winter. People grow them far north as salmon arm without issues and they always have tons of fruit. The consistent seasons is most likely why they have success .calgary is to up and down Edmonton is more constant but much colder usually .i was just looking at weather records for Kelowna

Hi Ubro (and others), I dug a trench in the garden and laid the peach tree/pot on it's side. It's partially filled in at current. I didn't want to completely cover until it got colder. Anyway, I didn't go too deep, though made sure the actual rootball is below ground level. I will ensure snow is piled over top as well. P.S. I didn't realize until later in the season that my empress peach had a couple of peaches on it. They were pretty small, but still it was kind of neat. I can't really brag, however, as I guess I bought it that way. I really like the long narrow leaves so it's a neat ornamental too. If it survives winter next spring will mean a slightly larger pot, or perhaps plant it in the ground. I once grew a japanese maple and would winter protect it by surrounding with a cardboard box (bottom removed) and fill in around the plant with leaves. Of course that got tiresome after a while. Good luck everyone.

Empress peach can get fair size fruit and very nice tasting. Five years ago I had one with tennis ball sized fruits.

glen3asaid:
I dug a trench in the garden and laid the peach
tree/pot on it's side. It's partially filled in at current. I didn't
want to completely cover until it got colder. Anyway, I didn't go too
deep, though made sure the actual rootball is below ground level. I
will ensure snow is piled over top as well.

I think both you and ubro know what your doing. I tested 2 years now about growing good seeds out of apricot and sweet cherry fruits from the store. Each made it well using your method in soil that was naturally well draining in first year. Next year I pruned each back and split apricots from the cherry groups, cherry went into underground unheated freezer, apricot into a huge foam guard for my septic leach area. At (freezer) lowly recorded point -11 celcius had almost been reached which damaged each cherry root. As for the apricot I had closed the vent hole above the rigid foam when it got just below freezing about November and it maintained an even just below freezing temperature all winter long. My web-600 appliance server recorded the values which seemed like voles would move in there. (There never were voles but for insurance purposes this year I have again went back to my failed below ground freezer, the only difference this time, with added styrofoam on top and a controlled 22 watt heater inside, and is where I am now)

2nd year, Transplanted sweet cherries had all live tops but failed to survive when the demands were not met by the dead roots. Research indicated that wild sweet cherry survive -10 and -11 which is where I was with my seedlings, so I guess it proved you can't go by the same lower limits for the tamed selections.

My apricots are great but eventually will be too big to move around and aiming for dwarf mini peaches are something I have done bud grafting to apricots before. Not the easiest but one bud took so possible.

Update--------- Both my empress peaches have leafed out, flowered and are now full of tiny peaches that are increasing in size.

I chose to take both of the plants out of their pots so storage was easier and they took up less space.

First, I let them go dormant outside making sure the temps were not too cold, removed them from the pots, packed the roots in damp peat and then bagged the rootball. I then stood them in my spare coke cooler at temps. that ranged from aprox. 2C to 4C.

I checked them periodically for drying and mold, neither of which happened, although I slightly re-dampened the peat once in Jan.

In Feb. I noticed the buds slightly swelling so I thought that to keep them alive they had to be removed from storage and potted up which I did. I kept them in the basement under a two bulb (T8 ) fixture. They bloomed, I hand pollinated and they set fruit. Now I am moving them during the day out to my greenhouse for extra light, but I move them back to the house at night just as a precaution.

Although this may sound like lots of work, preparing them took a 1/2 hour, re-potting 1/2 hour and pollinating a few minutes a day, just to be sure. I find they are less work than a houseplant that does not go into dormancy.

Because they fully leafed out, and set fruit which is increasing in size I think my storage methods were OK. Any failure from now on will be due to my error in container culture practices. So I will not count my peaches........before I harvest.

That sounds good!

Ubro,

I'm very excited to have found this thread. This will be my first year growing dwarf fruit trees in containers and your success gave absolute optimism. Thanks for sharing your experience.

My dwarf nectarines did ok too

They endured Calgary winter but covered on ground in cool shady corner. Last year had a few fruits hopefully again I get some nectarines and my dogs don't eat them lol

Okay, so an update. My empress peach was buried in the garden on it's side for winter and I uncovered only a couple of weeks ago (I was somewhat lazy and the weather has been mixed warm then cold). Anyway, the buds look good and may possibly be growing but I'll have to wait and see. If it is alive then I may plan to plant in the corner of the garden. I find it being in a pot the pot dries out quite quickly and it probably would grow better/produce better in the ground.

Peaches like to dry out like that. I put mine in full sun just need to water every second day heavy and will grow like weed.

my buds on the nectarine I layer down suffered moisture damage and a bit of the tips of branches were rotting so I did not get flowers. But the ones that are grafted or planted flowered this year here and have a few fruits hanging off. Hopefully I don't jinx myself one or two more cold night :)

I have 5 beautiful peaches the size of a golf ball?? maybe a little smaller, I have been doing as mattpf suggested and let it go to the dry side before I water but not too much as I believe the peaches forming need extra moisture.

On a side note, the dormant bare root peach I bought from Whiffletree started out smaller than the potted one from Superstore, but it has proven to be the better tree. The other one spent last summer loosing leaves attracting bugs etc. and this year it is again the one that seems to be most stressed. Although smaller, the Whiffletree one held onto four peaches and the other only 1. Maybe they are on different rootstocks, the Whiffletree one lists the rootstock as Lovell and the other has not labeled the rootstock at all.

The one you got at superstore is from bylands in Kelowna. It's grafted to Bailey

I let my peaches dry right out and than soak them well pretty much everyday when hot out.

in pots they always get liquid fertilizer miracle grow "booster juice" a peach tree will amaze you how much you can get in a year when boosted a bit. If your leaving in pot and greenhouse who cares.

Thanks I will make sure and fertilize it enough, and I will research Baily's rootstock.

I looked for these trees today. Wonder if superstore is going to carry them this year? Has anybody seen them ?

nope, must have been a one time wonder

Well I killed my empresses I had a few over the years trying to experiment with them. Mine took 10 min to cover pot in bag lay on ground and cover with mulch and soil. It messed the buds but a zone 5/6 nectarine survived and is fine. Next year I will wrap the tree up before I cover with wet material like that. I'm happy with my results. Finally got it. Now to start producing these trees next year is my goal

I think I will do one like that next year. When I bagged the rootball and put it in the cold storage I also bagged the top branches but left it loose for air circulation. I will remember your advice next fall and not let the wet mulch come directly in contact with the buds and branches

I think maybe I will wrap in burlap first than maybe use plastic but will make sure it's completely dormant before I put plastic on it. I don't think it will make difference.

I I found empress peach and nectarine minis grafted today but price was retarded and they put the peach graft in most retarded place on the rootstocks.

How is much did you pay for the empress peaches at superstore. They want $80 each where I seen them today. I can't bring myself to paying that lol

I paid $70 at superstore for my peach. Sad to say my peach did not make it. I believe it may have been disease related (the trunk was oozing reddish stuff) or perhaps I did keep it too wet last summer. Anyway, I didn't see any peaches at superstore this year, they did have nice banana plants and nice variegated ginger plants but 69.99 is ridiculous. One thing I loved about the peaches was the long narrow leaves. I may try again next spring by mail ordering one.

glen, my superstore peach is the one I had the most difficult time with, it came with bugs, lost it's leaves, bloomed less and set only one peach. As well this summer it is not as healthy as the one bought from Whiffletree.

I agree the prices are crazy that is why I learned to graft, it is hard to justify buying different varieties of trees at a price tag of $59-$89.

Are you guys putting them into larger pots ?

What kinda bugs did they come with ?

I find aphids prefer plums I have t got much of any damage to insects here on peaches . Aphids here do not touch apricot maybe the leafs of to tough ?

I am not sure about the bugs, I thought aphids but cannot see anything except tiny white speckles on the leaves that look like sucking insect damage. Again I sprayed today and still it is the Super Store one that has this problem, I think dormant oil next spring is in order

Do the speckles turn brown in the middle of the hole ?

if so its shot hole very common in peaches they like very dry ,lots moisture brings shot hole and blight . There is sulfur sprays for growing season that are safe for peach shot hole.

My saliva glands are going bananas when I hear peaches lol. about time you guys post some pictures..it might help to calm them down.

OH..aw..and I grafted my very first peach onto a Capilano apricot seedling, think it's Veteran.

Matt that is exactly what it is thanks.

Here they are not too big though but still not ripe.

AW...that really looks like peach! Thanks!

Guys, any updates and / or news about your minies peaches? . Thank you

Those empress peaches are very nice quality fruit and can be very beautiful bright orange.

The peach this year is doing well, but it did not set any blossoms. I had 2 and one I kept in the cold room (last year it was in a cooler at about 2C. I didn't want to run the large cooler for just one or two plants as I did not have anything else that needed it as well this winter). Not cost effective.

The other I packed under sawdust in an outbuilding where it got to -25C. I brought it in potted it up and it leafed out as well as bloomed and then died.

I neglected to remember that for many grafted trees it is not only the frost hardiness of the top but also the rootstock that is important. The fact that the top of the tree was loaded with viable green leaf buds tells me the Empress peach is frost tolerant but the rootstock is not.

I would not suggest -25C for this peach. The number of flower buds was not as great as the cooler specimen was the year before.

ubro(2a)

I am sorry to hear that you lost one of your peaches. what do you think what is the highest temperature + side that would not wake up peaches to start leafing up , like would +8*C be to warm for peach.

I tried weathering Empress in a pot in my unheated garage in zone 4. It died.

yovan, When I had the best success I stored them at about + 2C. But even at those temperatures the tree started to wake up in Feb. and that is when I had to remove it from storage. As I noted, I think the Empress can take colder temperatures than the rootstock and I would like to store it below freezing to keep it dormant but I am afraid the rootstock won't take it.

ubro (2a)

i intend to grow empress and golden glory peach trees in containers. my cold room is ok temperature wise for rootstock not to freeze but ambient temp. for waking up branches is to high at about 7*C-8*C and that would put my peaches in a very bad cycle; peaches might start growing so early while it is still too cold outside. and when they start growing up inside the house there would not be pollination and everything will be screwed up. looks like i might be in trouble but i do want to keep my peach trees in containers

This is super nice though I would share

also have a few blooms on my nectarines :)

beautiful