Q&A – Why do my peaches stay small and hard and never ripen?

There are several possible reasons for this. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison says peach trees will put on 80-90% more fruit than the tree can support. With this much fruit the tree does not have the energy to grow and ripen all the fruit, so the fruit does not grow. Pruning and thinning reduce the amount of fruit to a level that the tree can support and results in better fruit. Mike also says small, non-ripening peaches can also happen when the top of the tree has died and the tree has come back from the rootstock. The rootstock is not a good fruit producer.

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[Tonytall]

When purchasing peaches and they are very firm. Place peaches inside brown paper bag for a few days. Limit the number of peaches to each bag they need plenty of air space.
Peaches will soften to a overripe state and delicious 🤤

[donaldkasper]

I never thin out my peaches and most years they all just grow great, but a long late winter very wet here in the SoCal High Desert, and the time of pollination seems to have dwarfed this crop. The dormancy cycling with warm and freezing seems to disrupt their growth.

[williemasterofdestruction]

Ive seen this on a friends trees (that produced perfectly) only after he bought more trees from a store.
Im thinking its an issue with crosspollination. The green peaches often have a sap that's coming from the fruit. Its taken over all of his trees. Definitly not a overabundance issue. Nothing will touch this "fruit" not even bears.
It will stay on the tree untill the next year. Never rots just shrivels slowly in the arizona heat.

[richardtucker]

Assume I have pruned the tree as requires. I have. Assume I have thinned to one every 8 inches. I have. Assume it has gotten plenty of water. It has. Assume I have done all the spraying per peach nectarine plum guidelines. I have. I see no evidence of boreres. I religeously treat for those. Then why did this three year old tree appear to ripen and drop the peaches at a golf ball size maybe slightly larger here at the first/second week of may. Pretty and disease free but small. Actually because I over pruned early winter I had very few peach blooms anyway. Curious to see if the other peach tree which set alot of peaches but ripens later in the year does the same thing.

[taliaha]

Can you eat green peaches without getting sick?