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Oranges, grapefruit but peaches in Highlands?

TBO – March 29, 2011

SEBRING – Peaches and cream, peach cobbler and maybe even peach pie.

It will be awhile before Gene Statler and his wife, Sherry, will be able to savor those delectables, but they will only have to walk a few yards from their front door to pick the fruit.

The Statlers are in the peach business and in a couple of years they hope to be able to sell their fruit to local markets and the school system.

Gene said they were wondering about what they could grow on their five acres of land off Kenilworth Boulevard. They met with John Alleyne, who specializes in commercial horticulture for the Highlands County Extension Service, and talked with a neighbor who has peach trees.

“The more we looked into it, everything seemed to come back to peaches,” Gene said.

They bought 110 trees that Gene said were 18-inch sticks with no green on them and planted them in late December of last year.

“In faith, we bought them,” Sherry said.

Gene, who was the dean of adult education at South Florida Community College, said they are growing peaches for a couple of reasons. He said he is retired and is looking for a “little more income” and added the trees add value to his property.

He noted it is a fairly quick growing tree that could produce 100 pounds of fruit per tree when it fully matures in the fourth year.

Alleyne said peaches can be grown from the Florida Panhandle to Immokalee. Alleyne added there are 8,000 acres of peaches being grown commercially in the state. The fruit apparently is becoming a popular thing to grow.

Statler would like to plant 100 more trees, but he has not been able to get them.

“The demand for the trees can’t be met,” Alleyne said. “It’s new and catching on.”

The University of Florida has developed several low-chill varieties that are different than the other peaches. Alleyne explained the Florida peach needs 100 to 200 chilling hours, which he said is a period of cold between 45 degrees to 32 degrees.

Northern peaches need at least 700 chilling hours, Statler said.

The Florida Sun is the variety Statler is growing. Alleyne said two other varieties the university developed can grow in Highlands.

The sandy soil in the county is fine because peaches like a pH of between 6.5 to 7, Alleyne said. The pH is the degree of acidity or alkalinity in the soil. Seven is neutral.

“It doesn’t like to get its feet wet,” Alleyne said. “No muck soil.”

The peach provides an alternative to citrus and is another commodity for the state, according to Alleyne.

He said the peach gives the state a niche for production from April to June when California or Georgia peaches are not available.

“They are better than the Georgia peach, but we’re not prejudiced,” Statler said. “The Florida peach is so sweet.”

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