growing a peach in a polytunnel?

Hi, I am looking to plant more perennials in my polytunnel (14' x 34') and am wondering about a peach tree. I have admired many beautiful Victorian glasshouses with peaches fanned along the walls.
I am in the UK and the temps in the tunnel vary from -5C/25F (although hasn't been that low for a few years) to well over 30C/90F I have just bought a red haven that is supposedly resistant to peach leaf curl but do you think the heat will be too much? Will the heat promote PLC so negating the good work of the rain cover and spring frost protection for the blossoms?
Or would you recommend another sort of tree that would better suit?
thanks

How about a lemon ? as long as you let the lady birds get to it to control the greenfly etc I would go well

I grow both peach and nectarine in a greenhouse (and I'm in the Midlands so I'm not too far from you!). They're little dwarf trees in large pots, and I've got a crop for the past 2 years (not a huge crop- but they're only 3-year-old trees!).

My greenhouse got to -2C last year, and a maximum of 26C.

The peach variety I have is 'bonanza' and the nectarine is 'fantasia'. They really are small trees so I would never expect a huge crop- but they have to be that small to fit in my little 6*6ft greenhouse

hau Cesca,

A conservatory works very well for growing fruit trees. The main requirement for any greenhouse growing is ventilation, for trees you will need to have both high and low vents that can be opened for both air circulation and heat control.

The Victorian age was a time when many exotics were grown in conservatories both for display and harvesting of fruits. In a good one you can grow mangos, avocados, peaches, citrus, pineapple and just about any other tropical fruit you desire.
Most conservatories were actually passive solar, rock floors between planting spaces gather the heat of the day and release it throughout the night. Most used lighter color stone for this heat storage which is good during the summer months.

Dwarf trees, as Charli mentioned work very well for indoor growing. They come to fruit faster than full size trees and you can find better disease resistant varieties too.

Your peach tree should be okay outside too. You location gets more 'heat' than Seattle, Washington, USA. And they are able to grow/ripen peaches in that climate.
http://www.niftyhomestead.com/blog/seattle-fruit-trees/

The 90F heat in your tunnel shouldn't be a problem. Peaches are a major crop in South Carolina where the average summer highs are in the 90's F and peach leaf curl is practically unheard of. But you will need to get a pollinator into the tunnel to pollinate the peach flowers or hand pollinate.

thanks for that. I t was the heat I was concerned about. I'll try to find where naturally has a temp range of -5C to perhaps 40C and see what they grow.
Thanks

just from internet data Virginia seems right? 28-90F and humid . Anyone growing in Virginia? if so please tell me what's going well thanks

Hi Cesca, I'm in West Yorkshire, between Leeds and Doncaster, and I have a young almond tree outside which produced nuts for me last year (the 3rd year I've had it); and is flowering in profusion right now. There are some other almond trees local to me--at a school in the next village and at Nostell Priory, both of which had nuts on them last year (though I can't vouch for previous years, as I only discovered them last year). Almonds are very similar to peaches.

I do actually have two peach seedlings in my garden: one a year old, and one just sprouting. Both are in planters on my patio, and I see no reason why they, like my almond, shouldn't produce outdoors, once they are old enough. I grew them both from the stones of shop-bought peaches. I may not plant in the ground, as they are seed grown and likely to be full size; I don't have room! Though I'm still considering planting one (or both) next to my fence and fan training it

One more thing: I read in a Bob Flowerdew book that he grows peaches and nectarines in planters which live outdoors year round except during flowering, during which time he hand pollinates. His reason for doing this is to prevent leaf curl. He keeps them outdoors during the rest of the year and this gives them their needed dormancy period in winter.

cesca beamish wrote:just from internet data Virginia seems right? 28-90F and humid . Anyone growing in Virginia? if so please tell me what's going well thanks

BTW, I'm American, and I can say there is nowhere in the UK that is anything like Virginia, climate wise. We may be in the same USDA zone, but Virginia gets Way More Sun, and has consistently warm temps (20C+) from early spring to late autumn. We are more like Seattle, as mentioned above.

The original poster was talking about the conditions inside his polytunnel, which in the daytime can produce temperatures in the daytime well above normal ambient temperatures in the UK and more akin to growing conditions in a more southernly location.

You could look at what plants are growing at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Jefferson was a Virginian plant pioneer in the late 1700's who imported and tested numerous crops for their adaptability at growing in Virginia. The Monticello estate has a very active ongoing horticulture operation (www.monticello.org)

Peaches are originally from the super hot desert, similar to almonds so they will grow, just fine.
Peaches also grow in the hot and humid parts of Southeastern USA like northern Florida/Georgia.
Personally I would make more effective use of the greenhouse by planting something more frost tender inside and let the peach grow outside in your acceptable outdoor peach environment. Unless the only free space you have is inside the greenhouse.

Thanks, that's helpful. yes I do have a peach outside too, I was just thinking one may well crop nicely inside the polytunnel.
I'm off to read about Monticello....