It will soon be time to thin peaches. When the peaches are about the size of a walnut they need to be thinned. Peaches should be removed from the limbs leaving them about three to four inches apart. If the tree was pruned properly then not as many peaches will need to be removed. If the peaches are not thinned then the ones that are left will not grow big. It is better to have a few big peaches rather than a lot of little ones. My father would raise a variety named JH Hale peaches. If properly pruned and thinned, these peaches would grow to be very large and colorful. We could pack them twelve to a box and then sell them to the local department store as a fancy pack.

Thinning peaches was the worst job on the farm. It was even worse than hauling rocks. It is usually done in late June or early July when the temperature is very hot and the humidity is high. There is not even a slight breeze in the trees, and it is very uncomfortable. By Richard Gappmayer, Jennifer’s dad

Note from Jennifer: Our peach orchard was right behind our farm when I was growing up. Every summer, it would be me and my older sister’s job to go to the orchard with my dad and pack the peaches after he picked them. It was sweaty, fuzzy, itchy work. We would pack smaller peaches in the small holders and bigger peaches in the big holders, then my dad would sell them to the local fruit stand. One of my favorite things to eat was fresh peaches in a bowl with milk and sugar. Appeditlich!