Knowing about 10 % of what I believed I knew about plants and gardening, I planted a seedling peach tree the year we moved to this house, in 1996. This poor tree is in a shady spot (Is there any other kind of spot on this property?) The ground there is low and moist most of the year but extremely sandy, so devoid of nutrients that the woods stop about where I planted the tree and there is a natural low ¼ acre saucer of bare ground totally buried in many years of leaves.

It grew, but even after it was too tall for me to prune, the spindly skinny trunk and branches only produced 1 or 2 peaches a year and they fell off before they were bigger than a walnut.. Still, I let the tree live on, because it was a learning experience in many ways (those dappled sunny spots did not mean full sun, soil test first always, sand, moisture and leaves do not a good soil make, husbands are always on the watch for good parking spaces that are generally where you would plant things).

A few months ago I looked at the tree and saw 1 peach, which I knew would very soon drop off. I made the decision to cut the tree down this year, and then forgot it. While I was blissfully unaware, that tall spindly tree did this.

　

The left half of the tree is dead. Just one branch is alive and it has bent graciously nearly to the ground (under the weight of 40, yes 40 peaches).