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Apricots and peaches in the garden: site, peach leaf curl, harvest

4 min read · Season: Summer · October 5, 2026

Apricots and peaches are stone fruit and belong to the rose family. According to the BZfE, the peach originally comes from China; the nectarine is not a separate species but a mutation with smooth skin. In Germany, peaches are grown mainly in the classic wine-growing regions, according to the BZfE – which shows how much warmth both species need.

Site and planting

  • Position: Full sun and sheltered from wind, ideally against a south- or south-west-facing wall
  • Late frost: Both flower early in the year; in frost pockets the blossoms are easily killed. A sheltered spot by the house helps
  • Soil: Warm and free-draining, no waterlogging
  • Espalier: Trained as a fan against the house wall, the tree can be protected from rain with a sheet of plastic in spring – according to the LWG Bavaria, this helps against leaf curl and frost damage at the same time

Pruning

According to the LWG Bavaria, peaches fruit on new shoots. That is why they are cut back every year – ideally straight after harvest, in autumn at the latest. Remove the prunings, because spores of leaf curl cling to them. Apricots are pruned more lightly: the aim is an open crown.

Peach leaf curl

The most common disease of peaches is leaf curl, caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. According to the Chamber of Agriculture NRW, the leaves curl shortly after bud burst, look blistered and turn reddish, yellowish or whitish; in heavy infections they drop. Nectarines are affected too.

  • Timing is everything: According to the LWG Bavaria, the fungus infects when the buds swell – depending on the weather, from January onwards. If you want to treat, you have to be ready then; later, nothing works
  • Approved products only: In home and allotment gardens, only products approved for this purpose may be used. Follow the instructions on the pack exactly
  • Light infection: Remove diseased leaves and infected shoot tips early (Chamber of Agriculture NRW)
  • Choice of variety: According to the LWG Bavaria, some varieties are less susceptible, such as 'Amsden', 'Roter Ellerstädter', 'Früher Alexander', 'Rekord von Alfter', 'Weinbergspfirsich', 'Fidelia', 'Benedicte' and 'Fruteria'. None of them is resistant; yellow-fleshed varieties are hit particularly hard

Apricots and peaches can also suffer from Monilia blossom wilt: flowers and shoots die back from the tip. According to the Chamber of Agriculture NRW, dead shoot tips should be cut back into healthy wood soon after flowering.

Harvest and storage

  • Peaches are ripe when they smell fragrant and give slightly under gentle pressure. According to the BZfE, they only continue to ripen if they have reached minimum picking maturity – best at room temperature. Ripe fruit keeps for a few days in the fridge; let it come back to room temperature before eating so it can develop its aroma
  • Apricots are picked when fully coloured and soft to the touch; they bruise easily and do not keep long
  • According to the BZfE, the main peach season runs from July to September

Using them

Fresh, as compote or jam, on cakes, or grilled with honey and thyme (BZfE). For canning, see the articles on safe canning.

Caution with apricot kernels

Apricot kernels – especially bitter ones – contain amygdalin, which releases hydrogen cyanide during digestion. According to the BfR, adults should eat no more than two bitter apricot kernels a day, and children none at all; even a few kernels can cause poisoning. So do not nibble kernels from your own garden, and do not process them in jam or liqueur.

Sources

The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.

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