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Peach Orchard

The Peach Orchard presently covers about an acre of land south of the camp greenhouses. Five varieties are planted in order of fruit ripening date in rows from east to west. Ranger, Loring, Biscoe, and Redskin are all grafted onto Lovell rootstock. The remaining variety is the Starking Delicious which tends to have smaller fruit.

Arcosanti Peach Orchard in the Fall : Panorama : Jeffrey Kunzelmanl

The Peach Orchard was planted in April of 1983. The trees are pruned every year from late winter to early spring. Any dead wood is cut and used for firewood, the new chutes are trimmed, keeping the trees short enough for easy harvesting. Irrigation begins in spring and continues until early fall, watering at least once every nine days.

Due the the harsh climate, a bumpercrop of peaches is not expected every year. About two out of every three years, a late frost kills many of the blossoms which significantly reduces the overall peach yield. 1997 brought a bountiful peach crop. In the event of a mild spring, thousands of flowers may set fruit. In May, when the fruits are not larger than a golf ball, the peaches are thinned. Many young fruits are picked to ensure a crop of larger peaches while also protecting the branches from breaking due to excessive weight. Some branches are furnished with supports as they sag.

Picking begins in July when the Ranger variety are ready for harvest and continues through August. The organic peaches are sold to local markets as far away as Phoenix, and consumed at Arcosanti.

 

 

 
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