Prunus Persica, Peach - 0.5 kg Seeds

The Peach (Prunus persica) is a small, deciduous fruit tree grown for its sweet, juicy summer fruit and its profuse pink spring blossom. It has a spreading crown of slender, lance-shaped leaves and forms its fruit on the previous year's wood. In India it is cultivated in the temperate Himalayan belt and hill regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and the Nilgiris, where the winters are cold enough to satisfy its chilling requirement.

Besides the fresh and processed fruit, the tree is valued as an ornamental for its showy blossom. It needs full sun, deep well-drained soil, and a distinct cold winter followed by a warm growing season; it does not thrive in the hot plains.

• Family: Rosaceae
• Native region: China
• Mature height: 4-8 m
• Growth rate: Moderate

The seed has a hard stony endocarp and a strong cold requirement: crack or scarify the stone, then cold-stratify the kernel in damp sand for 8-12 weeks (or sow in autumn for natural winter chilling). Sow about 3-4 cm deep in well-drained soil; germination follows in spring after stratification. Seedlings serve mainly as rootstock, with named varieties budded on for fruit quality.