Cultivar List

'Floragold' Apricot
'Gold Kist' Apricot
'Indian Blood Free' Peach
'Montrose' Apricot
'Nectar Babe' Nectarine
'Peachy Keen'® Peach
'Tropic Gold' Apricot

Peaches or Apricots & Plums in the Southeastern U.S. or Cherries in the SoCal Desert

Floragold Apricot
Breeder(s): Zaiger Genetics.
History: Originated from
Rootstocks used: Myrobalan 29C
Orchards grown in: Castaic, CA.
Notes:
Fruit quality: "Very good quality." (DWN).  
Fruit appearance:
Pit type: Freestone. Harvest season: early; 2-3 weeks before 'Blenheim'.
Bloom season: blooms with 'Gold Kist' and 'Tropic Gold'.
Flower type: Self-fruitful.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  Said to be a reliable producer (DWN).
Growth habit:  Vigorous.  Wood seems a little more brittle than other cultivars.
Chilling requirement:  Low- 42 chill portions or less.  Listed in catalogs using the inaccurate method as requiring 400 or fewer hours.
Bottom line:  no opinion yet
References other than my own experience:
Dave Wilson Nursery.

Gold Kist Apricot
Breeder(s): Zaiger Genetics.
History: Originated from
Rootstocks used: Nemaguard
Orchards grown in: Castaic, CA.
Notes:
Fruit quality: "Very good quality." (DWN).  I beg to differ.  The fruit flavor isn't bad, I mean it's better than your typical store-bought apricot, but it lacks flavor compared to 'Tropic Gold' or 'Sugar Pearls' or 'Blenheim' that are homegrown.  My main problem with this cultivar is that the fruit have little dry strings in them that don't even soften when cooked.  My wife made a beautiful apricot cobbler, but one would often choke on a little string that didn't quite make it down the throat.
Fruit appearance:
Pit type: Freestone. Harvest season: early; 3-4 weeks before 'Blenheim' and about 2 weeks before 'Tropic Gold'.
Bloom season: very early.
Flower type: Self-fruitful.
Diseases:  It's the most affected by bacterial canker among my California trees, but seems manageable with pruning.
Precocity:  Mine began bearing in its 4th year.
Productivity:  Very productive.
Growth habit:  Vigorous, spreading.
Chilling requirement:  Low- 42 chill portions or less.  Listed in catalogs using the inaccurate method as requiring 300 hours.
Bottom line:  If you can grown other apricots, then don't plant 'Gold Kist'.  The fruit quality just isn't that great.  However, in some climates (very low chill and hot), it might be your only choice.  It that case, you could try it.  Maybe there's some way to strain out those choking strings from the fruit puree.
References other than my own experience:
Dave Wilson Nursery.

Peachy Keen® Peach
Breeder(s): none; chance seedling.
History: Discovered at Shell Beach, California.
Rootstocks used: Nemaguard
Orchards grown in: Castaic, CA.
Notes:
Fruit quality: "Firm, tasty" (DWN).  I agree with this assessment.  It's not as firm as 'Sweet Bagel', but it is firmer than many cultivars.  They are delicious peaches, but not super juicy, but juicy enough.
Fruit appearance: Peach. Medium-large, mostly red color. Yellow flesh, red at the pit.
Pit type: Freestone. Harvest season: midseason.
Bloom season: Very early blooming.
Flower type (affects landscape potential): Showy. Self-fruitful.
Diseases:  Susceptible to peach leaf curl.  Here in the SoCal desert, it's not a severe problem because if only affects a few leaves and the tree quickly outgrows the damage when the weather warms a bit. However, in some wetter, cooler climates, it may be a disqualifier.
Precocity: Said to be precocious, bearing in second year and my experience bears (no pun intended) this out.
Productivity: Productive, if you can keep the squirrels off of them.  Last year we had an abundant crop, but the prior year, all fruit were stripped when they were the size of almonds.
Growth habit:
Chilling requirement: Low. 42 chill portions or less. Listed as requiring 150 hours by the old, inaccurate method of describing chill requirements.
Bottom line:  Recommended for hot, dry, low-chill areas with warm Springs.
References other than my own experience:
Dave Wilson Nursery.

Tropic Gold Apricot
Breeder(s): ***.
History: Discovered at Camarillo, CA.
Rootstocks used: Myrobalan 29C
Orchards grown in: Castaic, CA.
Notes:
Fruit quality: "exceptional flavor." (DWN).  I agree with this.  It is an excellent, juicy, sweet apricot with a hint of tang.
Fruit appearance: medium-large yellow fruit with orange-red blush.
Pit type:  freestone. Harvest season: Late-midseason.  About 2 weeks after 'Goldkist'.
Bloom season: Early-midseason.
Flower type:  Showy.
Diseases:  I haven't noticed much disease on it, a little bacterial canker, but not as much as 'Goldkist'.  However, my tree seems very sensitive to hot dry weather.  It shows signs of stress when the 'Goldkist' is basking and thriving in the heat.  I just have one tree and the fruit is so good that I don't mind giving it extra water, but I intend to test additional trees to see if this reaction is due to the location where it's planted or something else.
Precocity:  Bore first fruit in the 3rd year after planting.
Productivity: Described as "Reliable producer".
Growth habit:  My tree is a weak grower, but like its apparent drought susceptibility, I might have accidentally planted it in a bad spot.
Chilling requirement:  Low- 42 chill portions or less.  Listed in catalogs using the inaccurate method as requiring <350 hours.
Bottom line: Excellent quality fruit.  It remains to be seen if the tree is well-adapted to our climate.
References other than my own experience:
Dave Wilson Nursery.