Peaches and nectarines are nearly identical fruit. Nectarines do not have the fuzzy skin peaches do. Both fruits have freestone and clingstone varieties. In freestone peaches the pit comes away easily from the fruit. Assuming you are going to be processing them in large volume for canning, freezing and drying, it is more convenient to choose freestone varieties.
All varieties of peaches and nectarines require a certain number of chill hours in order to produce new leaves and blossoms in the spring. You should not be cavalier about which variety you choose. Once a tree has sat dormant for its required number of chill hours it will spring back to life so long as the ground is thawed.
If your region is having a spring with wild swings of weather, this could mean that the tree would begin to blossom, or possibly even flower and a snap frost could come in and damage the tree for the rest of the season. This means it is absolutely imperative that you do not push the limits of what tree can grow in your area. When in doubt you should try to err on the cold side instead of warm.
In recent years, so called“Polar Peaches” have been gaining in popularity. Peaches like Reliance and Intrepid have been bred to need 1000 chill hours and grafted onto root stocks hardy enough to handle life in zone 4.
Growing zone: Zones 4 to 8 for peaches. Zone 5 to 9 for nectarines.
Time to maturity: 3 to 5 years. Trees in warmer regions will reach fruit bearing maturity sooner due to the longer growing season.
Pollination needs: Self-pollinating, but trees will do better with a companion.
Pruning/Thinning: Both peaches and nectarines need to be trained to an open center. Trees grafted onto semi-dwarf root stocks can be trained to a fence but they will produce less.
Harvest time: Most ripen from late July through mid-August.
Long term storage options: Both peaches and nectarines do well when canned in a light syrup. They can also be peeled, halved, stoned and frozen. However they will brown if you do not first rub them down with lemon juice before freezing. The browning is a matter of oxidation not spoilage.
Peaches do not make a good stand-alone wine, but they are a great accent to add sweetness to other dry fruit wines like blueberry.