How to grow Nectarines

Learn how to grow Nectarine in your home garden with this detailed guide. Includes planting, harvesting and troubleshooting notes.

Nectarine trees require rich, well draining soil with plenty of compost mixed in.

Plant nectarine trees in a full sun position. 

Yes, Nectarine trees are frost tolerant. 

Plant Nectarine trees roughly 6 meters apart, although spacing is largely dependent on your pruning method. 

Late autumn or early spring is the best time to transplant most dormant plants. Plants, with the exception of bare-root, can be transplanted at anytime between when the ground thaws and when it freezes (so anytime if you are in a frost free climate). However, if transplanting in the heat of summer, you'll need to be diligent in watering and provide extra shade for your plant in the first few weeks after transplanting. 

Dig a hole 2-3 times the width of the root ball. The hole should allow the plant to sit at the same level in the soil as it was previously. Fill the hole with soil ensuring the crown of the plant, where roots and stem meet, is level with the soil surface. 

Plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn.  

Top-dress the soil around the Nectarine tree with well-rotted compost in spring, along with a balanced organic fertiliser throughout the season. Add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the tree up to the drip line to retain moisture (be careful not to pile mulch against the tree trunk as this may lead to trunk rot and disease). 

Harvest when the Nectarines have changed colour and are slightly soft to touch. The fruit should pull away easily from the tree when ripe. 

Pests that affect Nectarine trees include: Mites, Scale, Fruit Fly, Oriental Fruit Moth, Thrips, Carpophilus Beetle, Fruittree Leafroller, Weevil. 

Diseases that affect Nectarine trees include: Leaf Curl, Bacterial Canker, Brown Rot, Bacterial Spot, Blossom Blight.  

At the end of the season, prune your Nectarine tree in order to remove old or unproductive wood. Open up the centre to let light and air in by removing any overlapping branches, this will help to prevent disease.