Do peaches get soft on the tree or do you have to pick them first?

Question

I have a peach tree in my garden and its full of beautiful peaches at the moment. They are very large, have their heavy red blush and smell very, very peachy... but they're hard as rocks! Am I supposed to pick them for them to finish ripening or will they get soft on the tree? I found two on the ground this morning, Does that mean they're ready to pick? Help!

Answer 1

Ours always get ripe on the tree. We have two different kinds of peach trees, a stone free and a cling peach. They get ripe at different times of the year. We leave them on the tree until they are just starting to get soft and when they are easily picked, if you really have to give them a good tug then they're not ripe yet.

Answer 2

Do they taste good even though they are firm? If so they are ready to pick. They will soften quickly once they are off the tree.

If you leave them to get soft on the tree, you will have a lot of work in a short time with bottling, freezing, eating or whatever you plan to do with them. Also they will start dropping off and you will lose some.  

Answer 3

peaches look ripe by their blush color, but in fact, the best way to tell is to look right where the stem enters.  If it's greenish yellow, they're not ripe.  You can leave them on the tree to ripen, but you run the risk of birds and squirrels getting into them, pecking or gnawing out a few bites and leaving the rest to rot.

You can pick them and ripen them easily in your home.  You can tell they're ripe by the softness and the smell.  Ripe peaches smell very peachy.  

Answer 4

Wait for them to ripen fully on the tree.  Wait until they give slightly to pressure.  They will taste the best the longer you leave them on the tree.