This morning, we all notice the gorgeous peach tree blossoms set against an ominous morning sky.
We know what's coming. At the end of the summer, we can pick peaches on this walk. This one little tree produces so many peaches that the owner actually begs us to pick his peaches each year.
So we do.
Many folks plant peach trees in Pennsylvania because peach trees, like other fruit trees, have a chilling requirement. Some peaches require over 1000 hours of below 40 degree days in order to go into the dormancy that allows a new season of peaches. Without those 1000 hours of rest, the peach tree simply won't bear fruit. Here, a peach tree gets those crucial chilling hours.
So if it's bearing great fruit, it means that tree had the right amount of rest.
I have my own chilling requirement. For days, months, sometimes years, I go dormant to prepare for the next year's fruit. We have to see rest that way. It's preparation. It's a requirement.
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Have you had dormant years that were required before a season of fruitfulness?