@dpps I second @JustPeachy 's thought here. I usually find people feel flattered that you’re taking an interest and are happy to talk about their trees, especially if it’s something unusual! The postcard idea is nice, too. I live in a similar type of area to you, and I don’t hesitate to ask people about what they’re growing if I see them outside. I will admit, though, it has to be something pretty unusual or special for me to muster up the gumption to knock on a stranger’s door.
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I’m glad that you have some neighbors that you know and are friendly with. My comment wasn’t necessarily directed towards you, it was just a statement about American society in general.
If you don’t feel comfortable or safe knocking on a strangers door, I understand and agree with you, I wouldn’t try it. However, if I saw someone outside their house as I was about to drive by, and it seemed as if they lived there, I might stop and try to ask them some questions from the sidewalk. But that’s just what I would do. Everyone is different and it’s okay if you don’t want to do that. 
If everyone likes figs try another variety like improved Celeste
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By process of elimination, I think I’m leaning towards jujube, even though I’ve never tasted it!
Here’s my thoughts:
- I don’t want to plant another stone fruit tree. I don’t want to create disease/pest pressure where there currently is none, and I can always learn to graft onto my existing trees.
- I don’t want to plant another fig. Even though I only got a dozen tasty figs this year, I know that in a year or two I’ll have more figs than I can eat. Plus, I can probably graft other varieties in the future if I ever feel the need.
- I bought some hachiya persimmons from the grocery, and I didn’t love them, and my kids didn’t like them either. I bought 5. The first one I bit into was still a little astringent when I tried to eat it. So I put three in a bag with an apple and a banana to ripen. I still didn’t love them after they were soft. The last one I peeled and hung up to dry. It’s not done drying yet, but even if I love it dried, I cannot imagine doing that to a whole tree’s worth of fruit every year when I don’t love the fruit.
- I wasn’t really interested in apples or pears. I don’t love pears (all the pears I’ve eaten have a grittiness to them that I don’t love). I do love apples, but I think they’d be hard to grow here, given that my supposedly easy to grow Saskatoon died from CAR.
So … That leaves jujube! Like I said, I love apples, and from what I’ve read jujubes are like tiny, super sweet, easy to grow apples. So, I think it should be a good fit?
Now the hard part … What variety of jujube should I try?!?
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Homegrown pears have no grittiness at all once you learn when to pick and when to eat, and disease resistant varieties are pretty much carefree where you are. And they are divine dried. Floral, chewy, sweet. Like candy.
Jiro persimmons grow great in your zone and are never astringent. I have awful luck with hachiya and American types, but my Jiro is bombproof.
My advice: go to an Asian food market and buy some non astringent (fuyu type) persimmons and jujubes. They will have both fresh right now. I did that when I was planning and found the jujubes to be a bit “dry” tasting to me.
I have apples and pears and persimmons and figs for late season fruit. The pears are amazing; better than anything I ever get at the store; my neighbors all drop hints that they would like a few more samples. The apples are tasty but mangled with insect hits; fun to have for a nibble or fresh sauce but not as good as what I get at the store. The non-astringent persimmons are carefree and pretty on and off the tree; not as much to my taste but very good dried and most kids loooove them (sweeeet). The figs are fun but only I like them.
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@tonyOmahaz5 @PharmerDrewee can maybe jump in or someone more familiar with growing asian persimmon. I was under the impression that ethylene only accelerates ripening (as in softness). It doesn’t really address astringency removal.
As far as jujubes, I remember that @PharmerDrewee mentioning to me that squirrels and ants go after them pretty hard for him, but fruit loss isn’t so much an issue with 7 jujube trees. He should be relatively close to you right? I assume similar predation would be an issue.
I think many people seem to agree that while most jujubes are self-fertile or at least semi-self-fertile, they still do better with a pollinator. I think that is why @tonyOmahaz5 kept Sugar Cane for his main crop of Honey Jar. Another thing to think about if you’re only buying a single tree. You can always graft a pollinator branch though. @jujubemulberry @k8tpayaso can maybe comment on their experiences.
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Ay yah! Haha, this is throwing a spanner in my works!
Since you’re not far from me, what varieties of pears do you grow? If you had to choose one, balancing ease of maintenance with non-gritty tastiness, what would it be?
There is an H-mart near me, so maybe I’ll check it out to try a jujube first. I was there not long ago, and there weren’t any then, but maybe I’ll get lucky. I have tried non-astringent persimmons before, but it can’t hurt to try one more.
I have no idea if your H-mart is using the same distributor/supplier as my H-mart. I bought jujubes several times from them in the past month. I want to say mine were Li. They were not similar in taste to the backyard grown jujubes that’s for sure. It maybe like comparing store bought pears to home grown pears. If you don’t like them, I still wouldn’t completely cross jujubes off your list.
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Unless you have a neighbor for pollination, you’d want two pears, but you can coplant two on semi dwarf rootstocks in a place that only fits one. I have a trio in a spot that should only fit two. They’re a bit crowded but whatevs.
If I did that… I’d pair off Harrow Delight (early) and Harrow Sweet (late) to extend the season. If just late…Harrow Sweet and Potomac or Shenandoah. I haven’t tasted Shenandoah but I can vouch for the others. If you look at other varieties just know that cedar-apple-rust resistance is key around here no spray ease (Blake’s pride, Ayers…couple other butter soft easygrow varieties are out there)…
TBH… I still think I’m leaning towards jujubes… Planting two pear trees is less desirable to me. I really only have room for one more. If I really really loved pears, it would be different 
. Plus, my last spot is smack dab in the middle of my front yard, and I think jujubes stay smaller and are just really pretty trees (based on online pictures)
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From my experience any jujube you get from a box store (H-mart?) is going to be a Li or Lang. I wouldn’t waste money on a Lang but often Li can be excellent, or not. Either would help with pollination. Li is definitely self pollinated but all of them will be better with two varieties. Don’t base your total opinion of jujubes on just any tree labeled jujube.
H-mart is a chain korean grocery store. They don’t sell the trees. I meant buying jujube fruit.
Ahhh. That makes sense. Same advice though… can’t make the final decision based on jujus not picked straight off the tree. Kinda the same for any fruit. 
Hmm…I know the difference in texture/flavor between good/bad for a lot of fruit. Having only had jujubes once…what is typical of a good-v-bad jujube that would tell me to try again?
i have never had a single juju cultivar so not in a position to comment. I do know li and the small-fruited contorted is self-fertile and when grown in the same conditions here in vegas, production is not hindered even when each is by its lonesome. Li seems unable to produce seeds regardless of having several other cultivars nearby, while the small fruited contorted seems unable to produce seeds when grown by itself, but a great source of seeds(one of the best in fact) when with a variety of pollinators.
anyway, even if all jujus are totally self-fertile, i would recommend grafting as many varieties to your tree to check which you like best. A juju cultivar will likely produce different-quality fruits if grown in different regions. And even in the same region and in one growing season of the same year , the first crop may not be the same quality as the 2nd or 3rd crop
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I remembered you saying something like this in another post, which is why I thought it was Li. Whatever my local H-mart is selling, all the seeds inside are completely empty. I cracked them all open out of curiosity.
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Some of especially the larger fruits are dry and lacking flavor. Really bad they can be described as “styrofoam”. Sometimes they are really sweet but still dry. The qualities of Honey Jar that everyone likes is crisp, sweet, and juicy. Some jujus have different textures such as being more dense and some have a more complex flavor with some either background or more dominant tartness mixed with the sweet. Basically HJ is sweet but the juiciness is it’s real pull. I really like Black Sea and SiHong is another of my very favorite. But I pretty much like most of them. If they were all out on the table for selection to eat there are a few I would grab first. Li is very variable in taste off the same tree in the same year but a good one is really good. Some brands are just lots more consistent with their qualities.
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Thank you! I’ll keep trying them then; definitely wouldn’t describe the ones I tried as sweet and juicy.
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I’d recommend a persimmon or late Asian pear like Korean Giant. I don’t have too many pest issues with Asian pears. My Asian pear varieties taste much better than the bland ones at most grocery stores. Non-astringent persimmons are deliciously juicy once they start to slightly soften. You can get a nice sized one in Chinatown or the Vietnamese area in South Philly in May. Dambly’s garden center in NJ also has nice persimmon trees for sale in the spring. I think you’d get many more pounds of production from a good persimmon or Asian pear than a jujube. I have them all because I have the space to spare.
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Agreeing with Drew. If you don’t get a Jujube, Asian Pear is a good choice. I grow several varieties. I do not spray them and have gotten good fruit for the last 5 years. They bare early too.
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