# Sam Houston peaches



## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Anyone familiar with this variety? I bought 2 last week and had never heard of them before.
Ed


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## MsPacMan (Dec 30, 2004)

When I saw your thread, I opened it eagerly, because I have a Sam Houston peach tree I bought in the autumn of 2003. 

It was a beautiful tree when I bought it, and did quite well last year, though it was too young to bear fruit.

But like you, I have not been able to find out anything about this variety.

Hope somebody that knows more about them posts something here.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Me too. I would buy a rock if it said Sam Houston on it. I got my degrees from Sam Houston State Univ. and have studied him a good bit. Kind of a hang up.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Does ANYONE know about this variety?


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## NativeRose (Nov 15, 2003)

I also have been trying to find out about this variety. Bob Well's Nursery in Lindale, Texas sells this variety and the catalog I got from them says it has low chilling requirements and is recommended as far south as Laredo. Large yellow freestone with red colorings. Excellent for Central and South Texas areas. Excellent grower. June ripener.

I would like to have info from someone who is actually growing them. 

What year did you graduate Whiterock? I graduated from Sam in 1975. If you are a Sam Houston buff I have an interesting family legend about Old Sam.
My great great grandfather (McAdams) had a place here between Huntsville and Bedias. Old Sam would come out to the place and sleep off his overindulgence  in their loft. I guess Mrs. Margaret would run him off. The old house which is a "dog run" cabin is still in the family, owned by cousins and has a historical marker on it. Not many people know of Old Sam's drinking spells.  I also have a couple of other family ledgends about Sam. One envolving a horse that came into his possession. Fun stuff history. :haha: :haha:


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Be careful when buying a low chill hour peach. Check with your county extension office to check the average number of chill hours your area gets. If you buy a tree that requires too low chill hours, it will bloom way too early and you will consistently have your peaches killed by a late frost/freeze.


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## MsPacMan (Dec 30, 2004)

I was out yesterday giving my trees a good dormant oil spray, and I noticed that the Sam Houston peach tree was probably the best bloomer of the six peach trees old enough to bloom. You could see the little pink blooms just a few days at best from bursting wide open with spring time jewels!


I don't know much about the Sam Houston peach, other than I really do enjoy the one I have. It seems to do a bit better than the others, and is very pretty.


Based upon what I see with the 20 or so peach and plum trees I have at the moment, I would not hesitate to buy another Sam Houston.

Oh, yeah, I'm in zone 7, west Tennessee.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Thanks.

Ed


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## hollym (Feb 18, 2005)

I have one that I planted year before last. It hasn't bloomed yet this year, but we are a little cooler where I am. Do you know what variety to use for a pollinator with this tree?? 

thanks in advance, 

hollym


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## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

We have two Sam Houstons. They do not need a pollinator according to what I have read. They are supposed to have been developed by the Texas A&M University which supports the Texas Agricultural Extension Agency.

Since we see our place only on weekends, we wanted varieties that work best in our area and the Sam Houston fits the bill. Our place is between Centerville and Buffalo, Texas.


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## visigoth (Mar 7, 2010)

I planted my first in South Austin about 1988. Two pretty big ones because I didn't want to wait long. Got about a dozen peaches the first season and a couple of bushels the second. A lot after that. Really good free-stone fruit. I am about to plant two 8-footers in Kyle on my Mother's old place. They are expensive ($42 each) but they are big and hardy and I know what they will do in two years. Your zone 8 location should be great for them. Take care of them and prune them properly. Do some borer prevention and if you get them anyway kill them immediately. Sam's will get them, though I never had scale and the other scary things attributed to this strain and stayed organic with spraying and stuff. Am also going to try two Rio Grandes and some Santa Rosa plums. I have been pleased with Sam Houston's in our zone.


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## cisco_s (Jul 5, 2010)

Got a Sam Houston peach tree last year in Feb when it was just a big stick looking thing, from Lowes. That summer, it leafed out very thick, and also started growing startling fast. Pruned it (some) last winter, and now (pic was taken about July 1 2010), its loaded with over 100 peaches. I'm pretty stunned by the performance. I've already tried some of the peaches, even though they're not 100% ripe yet, and they're already much better tasting than the peaches I get from the supermarket.

:thumb: for Sam Houston peach!

This is in east Austin, and its planted in a place that gets about 90% sun (a little shade early in the morning).


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## tabo (Jan 20, 2011)

Hey guys! Was looking on the web for someone with first hand experience with the Sam Houston peach variety. I just planted my tree last week here in Houston. How is the fruit? Quality? Is it sweet or on the acidic side? We like swee fruit so keeping my fingers crossed. Anyways, post away with your experience with this variety. 

Thanks in advance!


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

I had a couple of them, but an oak tree fell during hurricane Rita and killed them. The fruit was very good, very sweet and juicy and a bit tangy, and very fragrant. Not acidic at all. Mine were never overly large, maybe about the size of a tennis ball at the largest, but then I didn't thin the fruit as the trees tended to thin themselves. Had a terrible problem with curcuilo until I started letting the poultry have run of the property most of the year. If I recall correctly, about the only thing I ever sprayed was dormant oil. 

I planted that area with roses after the trees were killed, so I never replanted.


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## OldArmyWife (Mar 12, 2020)

We got our first Sam Houston in 2008 and fell in love. We now have four in our back yard and they are a big part of our gardening life.

The Sam Houston was indeed created by A & M university. They are hardy, bloom early and ripen by May. They do not self pollinate but local bees do a fine job. They are pretty much drought and bug resistant, however the fruit must be sprayed. The largest problem with the Sam Houston is squirrels. They love the peaches and can strip a tree overnight. Of course the dogs love trying to keep the squirrels away. 

To get a good crop yearly the Sam Houston must be properly pruned. They will produce beautifully if watered well (when rain is scarce).

Go to Texas A & M website and you can get the full story on the Sam Houston.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

We had two Sam Houston peach trees years ago. They were not successful.


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