I am new to the island and would love to grow my own peach. Any varieties better than others? Any tips on avoiding black spot? Thanks for any help.
The main problem locally seems to be leaf curl. While there are a few varieties reputed to be resistant (best to inquire at your local nursery; the variety 'Frost' seems to be popular), I've been most impressed with the "Empress" variety of dwarf peach. Compact bush, quite productive, and you can fit a number of them against a warm wall as a sort of peach hedge. Mine have been in the ground for 3 years and suffered no leaf curl or other disease issues, while peaches of other varieties in the neighbourhood have succumbed to the various and sundry afflictions that seem to plague peaches in this climate. Dinter's nursery in Duncan usually carries them as bare root stock in the spring.
I think Vashon Island (Puget Sound) peach growers and Vancouver Island peach growers may be in the same boat in searching out leaf curl resistant varieties. I've listed the cultivars I'm growing with good results in the cool maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest. Leaf Curl Resistant Peach Trees: http://tallcloverfarm.com/?p=114
Productivity and disease susceptibility are the two major limiting factors in variety selection for peaches and nectarines in western Washington. Many varieties that do well in warmer areas are unproductive in the cooler marine climate of the Puget Sound region. So far in trials at Mount Vernon we have eliminated a number of poorly performing varieties. Some reliable producers have fruit that is not top quality. Showing good promise are several introductions from the Harrow, Ontario fruit breeding program, and some other new introductions from New Jersey, Michigan, and Georgia. Peach leaf curl, bacterial canker, brown rot and coryneum blight all attack peach and nectarine trees, so they are not good candidates for a no-spray orchard regime http://mountvernon.wsu.edu/FruitHorticulture/StoneFruit.html#peach
