Contender Peach Tree

Prunus persica

Self-fertile

Sweet, juicy freestone peach. Cold-hardy and late-blooming, so it handles spring frosts.

#7 container
About 1.25" caliper

$88each, pay at pickup

Reserve

Pick up in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March. Pay cash, check, Venmo or PayPal at pickup.

Contender was bred in North Carolina for cold hardiness and late blooming. Its flower buds handle cold snaps better than most, which means a crop in years when other peaches lose theirs to frost.

The peaches are large, freestone and yellow-fleshed, sweet and juicy, and they resist browning.

A dependable choice for South Jersey.

Contender was released by NC State University in the late 1980s. In southern New Jersey it ripens about 18 days after Red Haven.

How it tastes

Sweet and juicy with very good flavor. The yellow flesh is firm and doesn't brown quickly after cutting.

At a glance

You get: #7 container, about 1.25" caliper (trunk thickness 6 inches above the soil; each tree varies a little)
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–8 (Salem County is 7)
Blooms: Late for a peach
Ripens: Mid August
Starts bearing: Usually 2–3 years after planting
Mature size: About 12–15 ft with regular pruning
Pollination: Self-fertile
Botanical name: Prunus persica
Price: $88 each, paid at pickup
Pickup: Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March

The fruit

Looks: Medium-large to large, mostly red skin, yellow flesh; freestone
Flavor: Sweet, very good
Best for: Fresh, Freezing, Canning
Keeps: About a week in the fridge; the flesh resists browning

Pollination

Self-fertile. One tree will fruit on its own.

Growing tips

Watch for: Low bacterial spot susceptibility; brown rot and leaf curl still need control

Full sun and well-drained soil. Peaches are some of the easiest fruit trees to get started and bear young.
Spray once while dormant (late winter) to prevent peach leaf curl, the most common peach problem.
Thin the fruit to 6–8 inches apart in late spring. It feels wasteful, but it's how you get big peaches and avoid broken branches.
Prune every year to an open, vase-like shape. Peaches fruit on last year's growth.

Spray schedule: Peach and Nectarine Pest Control Schedule for New Jersey Home Orchards (Rutgers Cooperative Extension, fact sheet FS113)

New to planting fruit trees? Read our step-by-step planting guide: square hole, graft above the soil, native soil, and no fruit for the first two years.

Photos show the variety, not the exact plant you’ll get. Reservations are for the 2027 season, picked up at our farm in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March, and aren’t guaranteed until we confirm them. Questions? Ask us or call or text (856) 345‑4538.