Nectarine

Nectarines are essentially smooth-skinned peaches and share the same rootstock and growing requirements. On semi-dwarfing rootstock like St Julien A, expect first fruit in the third year and full cropping by year five. They need a warm, sheltered spot — a south-facing wall is ideal. Like peaches, they are self-fertile and susceptible to peach leaf curl, so a rain shelter from late autumn to mid-spring makes a big difference. Nectarines are slightly less hardy than peaches, so in marginal areas a fan-trained tree under a lean-to shelter works well.