Larry,
You did not say the age of your peach tree. Semi-dwarf peach trees don't have
a long lifetime, probably less than 12 years. If your tree
died rather quickly, say in one season, chances are that it was a pest or
some disease that killed it. If it slowly deteriorated over several seasons,
that would indicate it went from old age. If you suspect a quick
die-off, try and pin down what killed the tree. Did the leaves curl up, etc.,
and try and identify the problem. Certain stone fruit trees are known for their
resistance to disease and/or pests. You will have to do
some research to find them. If you choose plums, I have a European Plum
(Stanley) which is quite hardy, and I am also in zone 5. Almost all the
European Plums are self-fertile. If you determine the cause of the peach
tree dying, you can make a better decision on what to replace it with. I
would not rule out another peach tree like Reliance or Raritan Rose, both
of which are winter hardy (both tree and buds). To fight diseases, I would
recommend a good spray schedule, or try to find a resistant peach.

Sherwin Dubren



Larry Blanchard wrote:

My semi-dwarf peach tree died last year and I want to put
another fruit tree in the same spot.

I think it might be a mistake to put another peach there, in
case there's some disease peculiar to peaches still present in
the soil.

I need something self-pollinating as I don't have room for 2.
Right now I'm considering a prune plum. Anyone got any
comments/ideas?

BTW, I'm in zone 5 in eastern WA, and in an apple maggot control
area.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?