Prunus persica var. nucipersica ‘Okee Dokee’ is a highly productive nectarine cultivar prized for its reliability and its very early ripening season, often being one of the first nectarines ready to harvest in the summer. It produces medium-sized, round fruit with smooth, firm, red skin over a yellow background. The flesh is bright yellow, firm yet sweet and juicy, with a pleasing classic nectarine flavour. A significant advantage of ‘Okee Dokee’ is that it is a freestone variety, meaning the flesh easily separates from the pit, making it excellent for fresh eating, slicing, and preserving. It is a vigorous deciduous tree that requires a relatively low amount of winter chill to set fruit, making it suitable for slightly warmer temperate regions compared to high-chill varieties. It exhibits beautiful, showy pink blossoms in spring.
Care Tips
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Position: Requires a position in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun daily) for the best fruit sweetness and colour.
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Climate: Best suited to Warm Temperate and Temperate climates with low to moderate winter chilling requirements (around 250-400 hours below $7^\circ\text{C}$).
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Soil: Plant in deep, fertile, moisture-retentive, yet very well-drained soil. Avoid areas prone to waterlogging.
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Watering: Water regularly and deeply during the growing season (spring and summer), particularly in the crucial period when the fruit is swelling (about six weeks before harvest).
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Fertilising: Feed in early spring with a balanced fertiliser formulated for fruit trees. Ensure adequate potassium and phosphorus for strong fruit development.
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Pruning: Prune hard in winter (dormant season) to establish an open, vase shape. Nectarines fruit on one-year-old wood, so ensure a balance of new growth is retained. Thin the developing fruit in spring to improve the size and quality of the final crop.
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Pest and Disease: Apply a copper-based spray in late winter/early spring, just before bud burst, to prevent Peach Leaf Curl fungus.
