The Gulfking Peach is a premium low-chill peach tree and one of the most desirable early-season peach varieties for warm climates, especially north Florida and the Deep South. Patented and released in 2004 through a collaboration between the University of Florida, University of Georgia, and USDA-ARS, this non-melting-flesh peach delivers exceptional fruit quality tailored for heat, humidity, and mild-winter regions.

Gulfking is prized for its firm yellow clingstone flesh, outstanding texture, and vibrant 80–90 percent red skin with bold striped accents over a deep yellow background. With an extremely short fruit development period (FDP) of just 77 days, this cultivar produces large, well-shaped, highly colored peaches that hold their quality even in challenging southern growing conditions. Its early ripening window makes it a top performer for home orchards, backyard growers, and small commercial peach farms seeking reliable, market-quality fruit.

Thanks to its low chill requirement of 350–400 chill hours, Gulfking thrives across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and east Texas, offering consistent yields where many traditional peach varieties struggle.

Gardeners and growers looking for a high-color, early-ripening, heat-tolerant peach tree will find Gulfking Peach to be one of the strongest, most dependable UF/UGA varieties available today.

Required Chill Hours: 350–400