Life’s a Peach This Summer!

TWENTY FUN PEACH FACTS!

1.  South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia, producing the most peaches in the United States outside of California.
2. South Carolina produced more than double the volume of peaches than Georgia did in 2018.
3. The nickname “The Tastier Peach State” is what South Carolina is known for around the country.
4. 60 percent of South Carolina’s peaches are grown in the Old 96 District.
5. Titan Farms in Edgefield is the largest peach grower on the East Coast with more than 6,200 acres of peaches in production.
6. All peaches are native to China, where the only wild peaches still grow today.
7. Documentation of the first cultivated peach was recorded by Chinese in 10th century.
8. The peach is closely related to almonds, cherries and plums.
9. A peach tree can grow from 13 to 33 feet in height.
10. Flowers appear on the tree before leaves. They consist of 5 pink petals.
11. Peaches are rich source of vitamin C, A and E.
12. First fruit will appear on the peach tree after 3 years. This plant usually lives around 12 years.
13. It was early American Indian tribes who spread the peach tree across our country, taking seeds with them and planting them.
14. Today, peaches are grown commercially in California, Washington state, South Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.
15. All varieties of peaches can be divided into two groups: clingstone and freestone peaches.
16. Peaches have been an important commercial crop in South Carolina dating all the way back to the mid 1800s.
17. With the introduction of the railroad came the idea to build packing sheds near the train tracks. This was done so that railcars could easily load the peaches up and ship them long distances before highways were even developed.
18. Peach production is an important segment of South Carolina’s largest industry — agriculture.
19. The South Carolina peach industry grosses approximately $80 million annually to the state
    and employs over one thousand people.
20. The Peach industry helps local communities improve the economies of the surrounding rural areas.

Data from SC Dept of Agriculture