Contender Peach Tree

A Peach Tree for Cold Climates!

Cornell University tags peach trees as having the least winter hardiness of all the stone fruits. But here's one freestone cultivar that gardeners even in USDA plant hardiness zone 4 can grow -- Contender. It lives up to its name, because it gives warmer-climate peach trees a run for their money!

Good News for Northern (and Southern) Gardeners
You can harvest Contender peaches even if you live in Maine. This cold-hardy peach cultivar sets flower buds a bit later than most peaches, which means that they are not damaged by late-spring frosts. Even Southern gardeners will enjoy growing this peach of a tree without having to worry about a late frost killing the buds.

A Good Fit for Small Yards
Other fruit trees grow too large for smaller landscapes, but the Contender Peach tree is a perfect fit in most urban yards. Its average mature height is only 10 feet tall, with an equal width. And because peach trees are self-pollinating, you only have to plant one tree to harvest fruit. But if your yard is larger, plant Contender as a later-bearing peach tree plus an earlier-bearing cultivar that's compatible with your growing zone so you can enjoy peaches over a longer season!

Pruned and Ready
You won't have to take a class in how to prune a young peach tree so it bears a lot of fruit for you. We've eliminated the guesswork for you by offering trees that are perfectly shaped to bear the maximum fruit for you!

Enjoy the Fall Leaf Color
You'll probably plant the Contender Peach tree for its luscious fruit. But get ready to enjoy its unexpected fall display of colorful leaves. Your tree will really put on a show in autumn with yellow, orange or red leaves?…or a combination of these colors may appear on the same tree!