Protection Of Peach Tree We Can Do Now For N.E. Winter Weather

Question

I have a small (dwarf?) peach tree that was a gift from my husband. We live in the Boston area (Brookline MA) , it is now January and we have not yet done anything to protect it for the winter. Last year he did some stakes and tied on burlap over them. It’s too late for some of your suggestions but I wondered at this point in the winter what would be the best thing(s) to do. It gets some sun but not by any means all day. It’s in the middle of our front yard and we live in a semi-urban area.

Answer 1

You are in hardiness zone 6b. Peach trees are generally hardy to zone 5 but they also are the least winter hardy of stone fruits. Do your winter temps ever dip below -5 degrees F? If so, I believe I would do some covering. You still may have almost 3 more months of winter. And since the tree is in the middle of the front yard there probably is no wind protection.

If you keep an eye on the weather and see very cold temperatures coming, go ahead and cover it with blankets. If you still have the stakes, that would be ideal. It's best not to let the fabric or plastic touch the stems. If you didn't mulch well last fall, you can still do that. Also if you see very cold temperatures coming, water the tree if you haven't had any rain in a while.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/peach-tree-cold-protection.htm