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Three years ago we got a peach tree from Aldi for £2.99 we kept it in the green house in a tub the first year took off all the fruit like the instructions said.

Year two we planted it out and were devastated to find that for some reason we got peach leaf curl and every leaf dropped off as well as the fruit. I was going to give in but a knowledgeable grower told us to pick up every leaf that fell off because the bug which causes the 'curl' will get back into the tree. We did our best and perhaps missed a couple.

We gave it a thorough spray with something for peach leaf curl.

This year. We have had a touch or the dreaded curl but only a bit. What we have had was 12 perfect peaches and I am delighted.

All my life I thought that peaches were a rather exotic fruit that could not be grown in the UK and with the winter we had (-21 C was recorded) I just did not believe we would get anything.

I think that the 11 will need a few days to soften up a bit, but the one we tried today tasted......Just like a peach should.

The tree, like me, is in Lancashire.

Any advice for the future is welcome

Peach leaf curl is is spread by rain water....so I'm afraid you peach will be getting spore attack every winter unless you can prevent it with temperary cover..or you will have to do regular spraying every year..but it is only preventative measure not total cure.
That's why peaches are often grown agaist walls where some sort of canopy can be easily built or under cover in GH or tunnel..growing in fully open situation is pain in a... as you can be sure that your peach will get the curl..

oh..forgot...picking fallen leaves will help to reduce the amount of those fungal spores..but it will not prevent future attacks unless you can do some sort raincover for winter months..

The neighbour of a friend in Pudsey has a variety that is supposed to be very "curl" resistant... it was certainly looking healthy two weeks ago... they like a cold snap in Winter...  :)

I can not imagine that I will manage a brolly over the tree for the whole of the winter but I can certainly spray it and intend to again.

I have actually grown it beside next doors green house. The green house casts a shadow over the land but the tree is getting to be taller than the green house.

If you mean that soil around the tree should be covered. I can do that....

no..not the soil....the actual tree..it don't have to be totally enclosed...just so the rain doesn't land on it.. ::)

i have two in my greenhouse a variety called rochester and another peregrine it really is the only way to guarantee you do not get peach leaf curl as the spores are in the air and drop onto the branches with rainfall.i believe that you can put up a temporary cover from december to may but you must make sure that all the buds are sprayed beford bud burst as this is where the tree gets infected.i sprayed all of my trees in the first year and now do not need to bother but if you sprayed the foliage with rainwater you will run the risk of re infecting the tree. ihave seen trees in so called reputable garden centres which are infected and i can speak with experience that an outside nectarine i planted years ago in my garden was totallly  destroyed
and i found it easier to grow in a greenhouse -hope this helps p.s. the product you need tp spray with is a chemical called dithane

Thanks for that I am almost certain it was dithane we used to spray ours with.

The tree is about 8 foot tall at the moment but we could cut it down slightly and probably put a cover over from December to May 'Depending on the wind'

I think the dry spell we had in spring did the good bit. I did not expect to get the peaches we did in the UK and I do assure you that they are sweet and a perfect texture.

No idea what variety of peach it is, there is hardly any information on those cheapy trees. Perhaps we have been lucky. Only time will tell.

Just about to indulge on a couple with ice cream now......

We have five trees at work growing in a greenhouse and right now we have more peaches than we know what to do with. Ours are mainly the white fleshed ones which are delish straight off the tree (when the boss isn't looking!!). They're not heated at all over winter and only grown indoors because of the dreaded curl. I can't stand buying peaches in the supermarket as they taste of nothing and are never, ever properly ripe.

Surprising what you can grow in this country!

Just a little info on peaches - the peaches are produced on shoots that grow and mature the previous year. So, fresh shoots each year are essential.
I did a bit of searching last year on info re cheapo peach trees - 2 variety names that came up often were Red Haven and Peregrine.
Hope this helps.

Having (years ago) grown peaches both under glass and outdoors I have to echo all that goodlife and tugboat have said.

However, I regret to inform you that Dithane was withdrawn in  May by dictat of our gauleiters in Brussels.  I believe that a replacement has been rushed out, but like all the replacements for the ones EU bans it probably won`t be as good as the one it replaces.