Contender is resistant to bacterial spot but susceptible to peach-leaf curl. It is self-fertile and does not need a second variety present as a pollenizer, but, as most peaches, Contender requires aggressive pruning and thinning. Its most distinctive horticultural feature is a very high chill requirement, 1050 hours, which causes late emergence from dormancy and late bloom. Thus it is a highly reliable cropper, missing most frosts. Contender has, in fact, been among our most consistently dependable varieties.

From Shaub in NC: "I am in Z6b and prone to frost at time of flowering. [Contender] has really surprised me with its ability to set fruit. I have had 4 crops in 4 years and I thought peaches were a lark for my site. One spring while in full bloom and little to no wind it was probably exposed to hours below 32 and a solid 27 degrees low, if not lower, while in full bloom. The petals were all badly burned and I thought the stamens and pistils looked 'not too good' also. Yet I still ended up having to thin fruit later on."

The bloom of Contender is pink and profuse. Its fruit is exceptional, and it has enjoyed the most success of the peaches released by the NC State University breeding program. Large and round, the fruit is yellow, almost completely covered with a red blush. The flesh is yellow, juicy, and freestone, with and excellent aromatic flavor. In 2014, Contender was awarded the American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Fruit Cultivar Award.