Peach cultivars developed by UF/IFAS have opened the door for an entire new crop selection for Florida growers. Click through the pages at the bottom to see a rundown of varieties suited for planting in the state and where they perform best.
FlordaBest
• Melting flesh
• 250 chill units
• FDP: 82 days
• The fruit has 90% to 100% blush, making it very attractive
Terms To Know
Getting acquainted with peaches for the first time? The following are terms you need to know.
Melting Flesh: These varieties are juicy but can have shipping problems because of this. Melting flesh varieties have shorter shelflives, and therefore might be best suited for U-Pick and farmers’ market situations.
Non-Melting Flesh: These varieties are firmer when tree ripe. Shipping these varieties is easier, and they have a longer shelflife. One potential negative of non-melting flesh peach varieties is a consumer bias that firm equals unripe fruit.
Chill Units: These are units required for chilling to produce optimum crops. One unit = 1 hour below 45°F but above 32°F that are accumulated over a 24-hour period.
Fruit Development Period (FDP): This is the period from the peak time of bloom to the peak of
harvest time.
Promising Peaches For Florida-Gulfcrest
Gulfcrest
• Non-melting flesh
• 525 chill units
• FDP: 65 to 75 days
• Ripe fruit has 90% to 95% red color over deep yellow to orange ground color
Promising Peaches For Florida-Gulfking
Gulfking
• Non-melting flesh
• 350 chill units
• FDP: 77 days
• The variety produces good size, shape, and color in North Florida
Promising Peaches For Florida-TropicBeauty
TropicBeauty
• Melting flesh
• 150 chill units
• FDP: 89 days
• Yellow background
• Good for local markets, long-distance shipping if harvested early
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFBeauty
UFBeauty
• Non-melting flesh
• 200 chill units
• FDP: 82 days
• Large size fruit, 100% blush
• Clingstone with yellow flesh
• Cropping may be unreliable if night temperatures during bloom are above 57°F
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFBest
UFBest
• Non-melting flesh
• 100 to 150 chill units
• FDP: 85 days
• Highly colored, 90% blush
• Good size, uniform
• Good branching structure
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFBlaze
UFBlaze
• Non-melting flesh
• 300 chill units
• FDP: 83
• The variety produces heavy annual crops of early ripening fruit with yellow flesh
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFGlo
UFGlo
• Non-melting flesh
• 400 chill units
• FDP: 80 to 85 days
• This white flesh variety provides consistent yields in North Florida
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFOne
UFOne
• Non-melting flesh
• 150 chill units
• FDP: 95 days
• Yellow flesh, with semi-clingstone pit
• Red skin over 40% of fruit, sunlight exposure helps to increase red color
• Trees are moderately vigorous, semi-spreading
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFSharp
UFSharp
• Non-melting flesh
• 325 chill units
• FDP: 105 days
• The variety has reliable cropping with excellent fruit size, shape, and firmness
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFSun
UFSun
• Non-melting flesh
• 100 to 150 chill units
• FDP: 80 to 85 days
• Large size fruit, 50% to 60% red skin with darker red stripes
• Trees are highly vigorous with semi-spreading growth
Promising Peaches For Florida-UFO
UFO
• Non-melting flesh
• 250 chill units
• FDP: 105 days
• Semi-clingstone with yellow flesh
• Pruning is limited to the summer period for reliable cropping