How to grow Nectarine in Australia
A nectarine is a smooth-skinned peach, grown in exactly the same way, with sweet, juicy summer fruit in white or yellow flesh. As with peaches, the variety must match your winter: low-chill nectarines suit south east Queensland and the coast, and high-chill types crop best in cold-winter areas. Leaf curl, brown rot and fruit fly are the problems to plan for.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Nectarine in Australia
At a glance
When to plant by region
| Region | When to plant | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland | June to August | |
| Northern Rivers NSW | June to August | |
| Sydney & Coastal NSW | June to August | |
| Melbourne & Victoria | June to August | |
| Adelaide & SA | June to August | |
| Perth & WA | June to August | |
| Tasmania | June to August | Plant bare-root Jun to Aug. Same drill as peach: late-flowering varieties and a winter leaf curl spray. |
| Canberra & ACT | June to August | |
| North Queensland | Not suited | Not viable. Even low chill nectarines need more cold than the NQ coast provides. |
| Darwin & Top End | Not suited | Not viable. Stone fruit need winter chill. Darwin has none. |
Not to be confused with: Peach, the same species with fuzzy skin, grown the same way.
Where to plant
Plant in full sun in deep, fertile, well-drained soil. Nectarine trees do not tolerate poorly drained ground, where the roots rot, and struggle in light, shallow soil. They flower early, so avoid frost hollows where spring frost can kill the blossom.
Do not plant where potatoes, tomatoes or strawberries have grown for years, as those crops build up verticillium wilt in the soil, which also attacks stone fruit.
Every nectarine variety needs a certain amount of winter cold, measured as chill hours (hours below about 7°C), to flower and fruit well. Matching the variety to your winter is the most important choice you make.
- South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: grow only low-chill varieties, needing about 150 to 300 hours. Fruit fly control is essential.
- Sydney and Perth: low to medium chill varieties suit the coast; inland and cooler suburbs can grow medium chill types.
- Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra: most varieties grow well, including high-chill types needing 600 hours or more.
- Hobart: choose late-flowering varieties to dodge spring frost, and spray for leaf curl in winter.
- North Queensland and Darwin: not suited. Even low-chill nectarines need more winter cold than the tropical coast provides.
Choosing a variety
| Climate | Chill needs |
|---|---|
| Subtropical and warm coastal (SEQ, Northern Rivers, coastal NSW) | Low-chill varieties needing about 150 to 350 hours |
| Cold winters (Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart) | High-chill varieties, which suit cooler regions |
Nurseries list the chill hours for each variety, so check the label before buying, or ask a local nursery. Dwarf varieties suit pots and small yards. Dwarfing rootstock can raise the chill a tree needs, which makes some dwarf trees better suited to cooler areas.
How to plant
- Plant bare-root trees in winter while dormant; potted trees can go in from late autumn to spring. Avoid hot, dry weather.
- Soak a bare-root tree in a bucket of water for half an hour before planting.
- On poor soil, mix a bucket of compost into the soil you backfill with. On heavy soil, plant on a raised mound for drainage.
- Plant at the same depth as before, with the graft union above the soil, and stake the young tree.
- Water in deeply and mulch, keeping the mulch clear of the trunk.
Watering and feeding
Water young trees regularly in dry spells for the first couple of years. Moisture matters most from spring into early summer while the fruit is swelling; dry trees give small fruit. Water deeply rather than often, and ease off a little as the fruit ripens. Trees in pots need steady watering all season.
Spread compost or well-rotted manure around the tree in late winter or spring, keeping it off the trunk, and feed with a balanced fruit tree fertiliser in early spring. Potted trees benefit from a liquid feed every couple of weeks in the growing season.
Pruning and care through the year
- Leaf curl: spray a registered fungicide, such as a copper or lime sulphur product, while the tree is dormant, timed when the buds are swelling but before they open. Spraying after the buds open is too late. Where leaf curl has been bad, spray at leaf fall, just before bud swell and about a week later.
- Thin the fruit when it is between hazelnut and walnut size, leaving one fruit about every 15 to 20 cm. The remaining fruit grows larger and the tree is less likely to snap branches.
- Nectarines fruit almost entirely on shoots that grew the previous year, so prune every year to replace old fruited wood with new growth. Train young trees to an open goblet of about four main branches.
- Prune in dry weather after harvest in summer, with a lighter tidy in autumn if needed. Avoid pruning in cold, wet weather, which lets in bacterial canker.
- Remove and destroy mummified fruit and cankered twigs, which carry brown rot into the next season.
Harvesting
Nectarines ripen from late spring through summer, depending on the variety and district. They are ready when the background colour has changed from green to cream, yellow or gold, the flesh near the stalk gives slightly, and the fruit smells sweet. Cup the fruit in your palm and lift or twist gently; ripe fruit comes away easily.
Check the tree every day or two, as fruit ripens over a few weeks. Fruit picked slightly early ripens on the bench, but tree-ripened fruit tastes best. Keep ripe fruit in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, or slice and freeze it.
Growing in pots
Dwarf nectarine varieties crop well in a pot at least 45 to 50 cm wide and deep, in a sunny, sheltered spot. Use quality potting mix, water regularly, and feed through the growing season. A potted tree can be moved under cover in wet weather at bud burst, which helps with leaf curl.
Using it
Eat nectarines fresh, slice them into salads and desserts, grill or poach them, or freeze or bottle a glut. Unlike peaches, they do not need peeling.
Companion planting
Keep the root zone of a young stone fruit tree clear of competing plants and away from soil that has grown tomato-family crops. Low herbs and flowers at the edge of the canopy are fine.
Good companions
- Nasturtium A low, flowering cover for the edge of the root zone that brings in helpful insects. Keep it trimmed back from the trunk.
- Garlic Takes little room and grows happily at the sunny edge of a fruit tree bed. Claims that it prevents leaf curl are not proven.
- Chives A small clumping herb for the bed edge whose flowers bring in bees.
- Tansy Grown under fruit trees in the hope of deterring insects, though evidence is limited.
- Comfrey Leaves can be cut and laid under the tree as a mulch that feeds the soil. Keep it away from the trunk; it is hard to remove once planted.
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to nectarine.
Pests and diseases
Leaf curl, brown rot and fruit fly cause most nectarine problems in home gardens. Most are prevented by timing: winter spraying, summer hygiene and protecting ripening fruit.
Pests to watch for
- Queensland fruit fly Small sting marks on ripening fruit, which then rots with maggots inside. Use exclusion netting or fruit bags, traps or baits, and destroy fallen fruit.
- Scale Small bumps on stems and twigs, with sticky honeydew and sooty mould.
- Borer Small holes in the bark with sawdust-like frass and oozing gum on the trunk or branches.
Diseases to watch for
- Peach leaf curl New leaves in spring are thickened, puckered and red or purple, then drop. Fruit may have raised, rough patches. Prevent it with a dormant spray at bud swell.
- Brown rot Blossoms turn brown and shrivel in wet weather, and ripening fruit develops a spreading firm brown rot with fawn spores, drying into mummies.
- Bacterial canker Sunken, gummy cankers on branches and dieback in spring, with small holes in the leaves. Prune only in dry weather.
Common questions
What is the difference between a peach and a nectarine?
Nectarines are a smooth-skinned form of peach, the same species, grown in exactly the same way. Peaches have fuzzy skin.
Can I grow nectarines in Brisbane?
Yes, if you choose a low-chill variety that needs only about 150 to 350 chill hours. High-chill varieties will not fruit well in south east Queensland. Fruit fly control is essential.
When do I spray my nectarine for leaf curl?
While the tree is dormant, timed for when the buds are swelling but before they open. Once leaves emerge it is too late to control.
Why are my nectarines rotting on the tree?
Usually brown rot, a fungus worst in wet weather near harvest, or fruit fly. Remove rotten and mummified fruit, thin crowded fruit so air moves around it, and protect ripening fruit from fruit fly.
When should I prune a nectarine tree?
After harvest in summer, in dry weather. Nectarines fruit on last season's shoots, so prune each year to renew fruiting wood and keep the centre open.
Should I thin nectarines?
Yes. Thin when the fruit is between hazelnut and walnut size, leaving one about every 15 to 20 cm, for bigger fruit and less branch breakage.
Sources we checked: Agriculture Victoria: Peach leaf curl; Agriculture Victoria: Brown rot of stone fruits; Agriculture Victoria: Verticillium wilt of deciduous fruit trees; RHS: How to grow peaches (peaches and nectarines are grown the same way); RHS: Bacterial canker; Local Food Connect (Robin Gale-Baker): Pruning and care of deciduous fruit trees; Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery: Nectarine varieties and chill hours.