Bella Gold

Peach

Size

Medium

Shape

Round, apricot-like

Flavor

Combines peach sweetness, apricot aroma, and subtle plum richness; tart skin giving way to mildly sweet amber flesh

Texture

Soft, tree-ripe when ready; slightly fuzzy skin like an apricot

Ripening window

Late June - early July

Best uses

Fresh eating

Pollination

Not self-fertile - needs Blenheim Apricot, Gold Kist Apricot, or Flavor Grenade Pluot (see separate entry) as a pollinator

Tree size

12-15 ft, naturally semi-dwarf

Notes

"Peacotum" - a three-way peach x apricot x plum hybrid bred by Zaiger's Genetics (US Plant Patent 17,826), the same breeding program behind pluots and the "Arctic" nectarine series. Bright yellow skin with red blush, amber flesh. Chill requirement 500 hours, zones 5-9 - a reasonably good fit for zone 8a Texas. Since it needs a specific pollinator (an apricot variety or Flavor Grenade Pluot), pollinator planning matters more here than chill hours; pairs naturally with the Flavor Grenade Pluot record below.