Peaches: Harvest and Postharvest Handling
This means that familiarity with the cultivars that you have planted is a necessity. Ideally, you would pick peaches for closer markets that are more ripe than those that are being shipped further away. Wholesale peaches, for example, should be less mature than retail peaches because the extra firmness will help them to survive the greater handling they will face during shipping.
One important note for marketing purposes is that the USDA has a list of peach grades ranging from “U.S. Fancy" to “U.S. No. 2." “U.S. Fancy" peaches have the most stringent requirements, requiring the fruit to be free of hail injury, cuts, bruises, disease, scale, insects, worms, and each peach must have no less than 1/3 of its skin blushed, pink or red. Also, the USDA requires that 50 peaches be examined in containers holding greater than 50 peaches, and a minimum of 25 peaches to be examined in containers having less than 50 fruit.
Multiple harvests will be needed to successfully harvest your peach crop because peaches ripen unevenly. The number of harvests can range between 2 to 4 times. As with any summer harvest, care should be taken to avoid the effects of heat illnesses on workers. Penn State Extension has an excellent article outlining symptoms and proper heat management.
Skin background color and firmness are two good markers to determine readiness to pick, and historical ripeness dates and diameter size can be quite useful, as well. As background color begins to change from green to yellow or cream, this indicates a good time to begin harvest. Peach blush color can be uneven and dull until the background changes from green to lighter colors, so harvesting as background color changes is a more reliable harvest practice. Flesh firmness of 10 to 16 pounds using a penetrometer also indicates readiness to pick.
Peaches that you intend to sell to wholesale markets can be shipped as soon as they are picked. However, peaches that you intend to sell retail should be stored from between 31-33°F at 90-95% humidity. This temperature range avoids “killing zone" temperatures and allows for storage for 2 to 4 weeks. Temperatures between 36-46°F can cause peaches to develop woolliness, a disorder that is characterized by a lack of crispness and juiciness in the flesh. Temperatures above 50°F cause peaches to soften, and can lose up to 2 pounds of flesh firmness per day depending on the temperature. Peaches that are between 6 to 8 pounds of flesh firmness can be displayed for retail sale, and peaches that are between 2 to 3 pounds of flesh firmness are considered ready to eat.
As with any potential investment, you should consider how peaches will fit into your operation before committing to peach production. Peaches present unique challenges among tree fruit for harvest and handling. Care must be taken to avoid damage before, during, and after harvest, and their delicate flesh qualities can make them difficult to ship and store. However, if these challenges can be overcome, peaches can be a rewarding crop to produce.
For More Information
Cold Storage Conditions - Cooperative Extension: Tree Fruits - University of Maine Cooperative Extension. (2018). Cooperative Extension: Tree Fruits. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
Crisosto, C. H., and D. Valero. "Harvesting and postharvest handling of peaches for the fresh market, The Peach: Botany, Production and Uses, Eds." Layne DR, Bassi D., CABI, Wallingford, UK (2008).
Heat Illness and Agriculture. (2018). Penn State Extension. Retrieved 18 July 2018
Peach - Frequently Asked Questions. College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences. Clemson University, South Carolina. (2018). Clemson.edu. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
Peach Production. (2018). Penn State Extension. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
Penn State Tree Fruit Production Guide. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2018.
Taylor, K. C., and Rushing, J. W. “Harvest and Post-Harvest Considerations – 6.1 Harvesting and Handling Peaches, Southeastern Peach Growers' Handbook" Athens, GA: University of Georgia Extension, 2006.
