South Carolina Peaches: A Beloved Summertime Fruit
A beloved summertime fruit in the Southeastern United States is the peach.
SC peach orchard in full bloom.
Anna Sara Hill, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Two southern states, Georgia (GA) and South Carolina (SC), claim it as their state fruit, and Alabama claims it as their “state tree fruit”.
Delaware claims peach pie as the state dessert, while Texans prefer peach cobbler as theirs. August is National Peach Month.
Gaffney, SC, carries the title of “peach capital of SC” and has a giant peachoid water tower.
The state of Georgia has a Peach County.
Peach Origins and the Meaning of the Name Prunus persica
The Latin name for peaches means “Persian apples.” The taxonomic species P. persica indicates they are from Persia.
This created some confusion regarding their country of origin, and some mistakenly believed that the fruit was from Persia.
Substantial archeological evidence and historical records prove that peaches are endemic to China.
Ancient China Peaches Cultivation
Peaches are endemic to China, but the exact epicenter is unknown.
The Chinese have been cultivating peaches for so long that, according to the ‘Flora and Fauna of China,’ wild-type peaches do not exist.
Peaches Spread from China to Japan, Persia, and the Mediterranean
Substantial archeological evidence, uncovered in the 1920s, indicates that diverse groups over a broad geographic region of China were cultivating and selecting peaches for preferred traits by 8,000-7,000 BC.
The oldest pits were found in the Yangzi River Valley in eastern China.
Evidence suggests that cultivated peaches were introduced into Japan approximately 500 miles from the mouth of the Yangzi River (c. 6400 BC).
Peaches spread across trade routes throughout Persia and India, eventually appearing in the Mediterranean Valley.
There is a theory that Alexander the Great brought them as a gift, but no historical documentation confirms this.
The Romans spread them throughout Western Europe.
In some cultures, the gift of a peach symbolizes wishes for a long, healthy, and prosperous life.
Anna Sara Hill, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Peaches Arrive in the Americas
- 1539- Spanish conquistadors introduced peaches in the Tampa Bay area.
- 1571- Spanish monks planted peaches in St. Simons Island, GA.
- 1607- Peaches were introduced into Jamestown, VA.
Native Americans Cultivation
Native Americans spread peaches throughout the southeastern United States.
They quickly adopted the fruit and started selectively breeding peaches and spreading them between tribes.
Based on dated peach pits, Penn State determined that peaches were planted at the Muskogee Farm in Oconee Valley, Georgia, between 1520 and 1550.
Peaches Spread West Across the United States
Within 100 years after the founding of Saint Augustine, there were accounts of “dense wild stands of peach trees” in the Southeast from Charleston north to New York and as far west as Tennessee and Alabama.
One report from the 17th century describes the trees as “weeds” growing in the southern colonies.
The number of varieties in North America exceeded European varieties.
When the Native Americans were forced westward, they took their peaches with them.
Over the years, settlers continued to spread peaches as they moved west on Wagon Trains.
Spanish missionaries planted the first peach trees in California in the early 1800s.
The first peach orchard recorded in California was planted in 1841 by John Augustus Sutter on his Sutter County farm in the Sacramento Valley.
Commercial Peach Farming in the Southeastern U.S.
During the mid-1800s, peaches became an important commercial crop in the Southeast.
Raphael Moses was one of the first to market peaches in Ga in 1851 and later shipped and sold peaches outside the South.
Georgia’s Famous Elberta Peach and Modern Peach Production
Another Georgia fruit grower, Samuel L. Rumph, grew the Elberta peach (named for his wife) from seeds saved by his grandmother.
He extensively budded it into his nursery stock and sold it to other growers.
The fruit was so firm that in 1875, he shipped it un-iced in one/third bushel crates to New York City, where it arrived in good condition and was sold for $15.00 per bushel.
Elberta became the most widely produced commercial peach in the United States, and Samuel Rumph was dubbed “the father of modern peach production”.
Pioneers of South Carolina’s Commercial Peach Industry
South Carolina started building its budding commercial peach industry and, in time, surpassed Georgia in production acres.
Two early major players in developing and promoting commercial peach production in the state were Henry William Ravenel (Aiken) and Colonel R. B. Watson (Edgefield).
Ravenel is credited as being the first commercial producer to ship peaches in SC.
The Peach Ridge of South Carolina
In the 1920s, Colonel Watson convinced six asparagus growers to plant 20 acres of 3 varieties each for 60 acres per grower.
The investment paid off and peach production boomed in SC, until the early 1980s when three consecutive freezes took out much of the industry.
James H. Verne was a pioneer commercial peach grower in the Piedmont. In 1924, he shipped 3780 crates of peaches from his orchard planted between 1900 and 1901.
His horticultural practices were well known and a model for many other upstate growers to follow.
Peaches grow well on the South Carolina Ridge:
- Cool air sinks into the valley
- The air is warm and humid
- The soil is slightly acidic
Perfect conditions for flavorful fruit give SC its nickname, “The Tastier Peach State”. Today, most of the peach acreage in SC is along the ridge.
Freshly picked peaches headed to the packing shed.
Anna Sara Hill, ©2025, Clemson Extension
California’s Canning Industry and Charleston’s ‘Lemon Cling’ Peach
Peach production in California grew by leaps and bounds with the improvement and expansion of the canning industry.
One of the most popular canning varieties used in the canning industry for years was ‘Lemon Cling’. It was a variety first grown by Martha Logan in Charleston, SC.
Labor-Intensive Harvesting Practices
Commercial peach production is highly labor-intensive.
Over the years, the packing, canning, and shipping industry has been transformed by modern technology. However, grafting, planting, pruning, and harvesting are still done manually using the same techniques the ancients used.
New, improved varieties are continually developed through selective breeding to keep production viable.
Current Peach Production Rankings
- California- #1 producer of commercial peaches (525,990 tons in 2024; 96% of the US processed peaches, ~50% of the fresh market)
- South Carolina- #2 producer in the US (84,630 tons in 2024)
- Georgia- #5 producer in the US
Peach Sweetness Around the World
Globally, China is the top commercial producer of peaches. The United States is the sixth-largest producer.
Japan, Greece and the U.S. are known for producing the sweetest peaches in the world.
One grower in Japan has developed a peach with a sugar content measuring 32 brix, twice the average.
Cultural, Symbolic, and Historical Significance of Peaches
Although not the top producer, the United States has significantly contributed to the advancement of the peach industry, including the canning industry and the development of many varieties.
One variety of freestone red skin peaches, Red Haven, was developed by Michigan State University and released in 1940. It is the most common free stone peach grown worldwide.
From ancient China, peaches have been considered symbols of vitality, longevity, sophistication, wealth, purity and virtue.
The Chinese even thought they had special protective powers.
Greeks and Romans used them as aphrodisiacs.
Peaches in Recipes, Art, and Sports History
Historically reserved for emperors, monarchs and the wealthy elite, this non-native fruit has become an everyday affair in American households.
They were prized by the aristocracy, who sold them at high prices. Peaches have been a popular tree in royal gardens since ancient times up to the present day. Charles V grew 40 varieties to demonstrate his agricultural knowledge and wealth.
Throughout the centuries, peaches have inspired recipes, art, poetry, myths, legends, movies, and more.
Fun Fact: Peach production inspired the game of basketball! The original game was played using peach baskets as goals!
Support Local Peach Growers in South Carolina
Next time you watch a basketball game, think about the hard-working growers who produce this state’s fruit.
After the game, help boost the economy and support US peach producers by buying locally grown, delicious peaches!
Additional Peach Resources
Clemson Cooperative Extension Peaches
HGIC 1354, Peaches & Nectarines
SC Peach Council Facts
HGIC 4253, Using & Storing Peaches
HGIC 3140, Preserving Peaches
HGIC Blog Freezing Peaches
