Peach trees (Prunus persica) flower as early as apricots, in March or April, so late frosts are the main risk to the crop. In Central Europe they do best trained against a warm, sunny wall that shelters them and reflects heat, in light, free-draining soil (pH 6.0–7.0). Plant in spring or autumn, choosing a grafted tree of a hardy, self-fertile variety such as 'Redhaven'. Peach leaf curl, a fungal disease that makes spring leaves red, blistered and distorted, is the most common problem: spray with a copper fungicide before the buds swell in late winter, or keep rain off wall-trained trees with a simple cover. Peaches fruit only on one-year-old shoots, so prune every spring, ideally at the pink-bud stage, to encourage plenty of new growth; unpruned trees soon crop only at the branch tips. Thin fruitlets in May to one every 10–15 cm for larger peaches. Harvest from July to September when the fruit comes away with a gentle twist, and eat or preserve it promptly.