In The NoCo

Growing your own Palisade peach tree is harder than it sounds. Here’s how to give it your best shot

By In The NoCo,

Published May 30, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A tree is pictured with a dozen peaches growing, against a blue sky backdrop — "The Front Range is going to have a lot more sudden frost events and much more extreme temperature variation than the Western Slope peach-growing areas," says CSU extension horticulture expert Jeff Pieper. "Peach is one of the most susceptible tree fruits when it comes to frost damage, so that's what makes it really challenging to grow peach on the Front Range."

Picture this: It’s a warm summer evening. You’ve got burgers and sweet corn roasting on the grill. And for dessert, homemade cobbler with fresh peaches – picked right off your very own peach tree.

If you live along the Front Range, you might think the only place you can get sweet, juicy Palisade peaches is at your local farmer's market. But it is possible to grow a peach tree outside of western Colorado, although it’s a bit more challenging than you might expect.

Jeff Pieper is a horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension in Mesa County, on the Western Slope. He’s been on the show before, to discuss the science behind why Palisade peaches taste so incredible.

He joined Erin O’Toole to walk through some of the pros – and pitfalls – of growing your own peach tree.

Jeff mentioned lots of other fruit options that are more suited for the Front Range, including apple trees as well as small fruits like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants.

Find more info and advice from CSU Extension on growing fruit trees and berries.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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