Contender Peach

Overview

Contender is one of the more consistent-bearing and cold-hardy varieties of peach grown in Montana. We would rank Contender right behind Siberian C in terms of hardiness (although still a decent bit less hardy than Siberian C which we would put around -38F), as this is the only commercial cultivar that has survived temperatures in the -30s (specifically, -32°F). It also has excellent flavor.

Flavor Notes

Taste notes from our 2022 company tasting of Forbidden Fruit’s Contenders:
“Very yellow. Texture is great. Melts in your mouth. Not fibrous. Able to crush it on your palate. Not too sweet.”
Another noted: “Equally sweet and tart. Not fibrous or stringy. Likes it. Skin gives it a nice touch.”

Freestone. Hardy to zone 4. On top of surviving -32F, they survived our -25°F on 1/13/24 without any winter injury.

DO NOT PLANT if you are in an area that has the potential to see lower than -32°F (unless well sited to avoid frost pooling, thermal buffering features nearby such as buildings or bodies of water, lots of air drainage, etc.)

Tree Details

These Contender trees are grafted onto semi-dwarf Krymsk 86, Prairie Red Plum, Native Plum, and Manchurian apricot rootstock, the former of which will make for a 15 ft tree at maturity, and the latter three roughly 20 ft., respectively.