Peaches, in particular, benefited from this transition. The abolition of slavery forced farmers to search for alternatives to the traditional labor-intensive cotton crop. Peach expansion in acreage and production was fueled by several factors. Georgia earned its "Peach State" designation during the three decades following the Civil War. They were transported by wagon to Augusta, then by shallow-draft boat to Savannah, and finally by steamship to New York. The first Georgia peaches were shipped to the New York market between 18. Since then production has decreased to about 2.6 million bushels annually. His method of shipping peaches in champagne baskets, rather than in pulverized charcoal, helped to preserve the flavor of the fruit and contributed to his success.Ĭonsiderable expansion of peach acreage occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, resulting in an all-time high production of almost eight million bushels by 1928.
Raphael Moses, a planter and Confederate officer from Columbus, was among the first to market peaches within Georgia in 1851 and is credited with being the first to ship and sell peaches successfully outside of the South. Before the Civil War, increasing numbers of home orchards were planted in Georgia. By the mid-1700s peaches and plums were cultivated by the Cherokee Indians. Simons and Cumberland islands along Georgia's coast in 1571. Augustine, Fla., Franciscan monks introduced them to St. Though peaches were originally planted in St. These seeds eventually found their way to the red clay soil of middle Georgia where they were planted on acres of land which would later become Peach County. Peaches were later introduced into Europe and Christopher Columbus brought peach seeds to the new world on his second and third trips. Nearly all peaches grown in Georgia are sold in the wholesale fresh market, with a small percentage sold locally at packing houses and fruit stands.ĬLICK HERE for additional historical information on the peach industryįirst grown in China almost 4,000 years ago, peaches spread from their homeland to the western world via India and Persia where they were first cultivated. Georgia enjoys important production and marketing advantages, primarily its proximity to eastern markets and favorable prices because of early harvests and high-quality fruit production.
Additionally, the sandy loam soils of the fall line are more favorable to peach production than the Piedmont's heavy clays or the Coastal Plain's sands.įresh Georgia peaches are available only 16 weeks each year, from mid-May to August. The early harvest allows premium prices for the crop. This area is far enough north to receive sufficient winter chilling, but far enough south to avoid late frosts and guarantee early harvest dates. Georgia's peach industry is concentrated in Peach, Crawford, Taylor and Macon counties along the fall line, the transition zone between Georgia's Piedmont and Coastal Plain and 75 percent of Georgia's total harvest comes from these counties. About half of the peaches harvested in Georgia come from Peach County. A typical Georgia peach crop can bring in up to 140 million pounds of peaches and brought and approximately $30-$40 million in revenue. Georgia is widely known as the Peach State and Georgia peaches are arguably the sweetest and tastiest grown anywhere in the world, Georgia ranks third nationally in acreage devoted to peaches and in production. Georgia's peach industry has a long tradition and Peach County put the Peach in Georgia! The first peaches were planted in the state in the 18th century, and commercial production began in the mid-19th century.
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