First I want to say hello to everyone! I have been doing some research on persimmons for northern climates and it seems whenever google brought me to this forum I found some of the most knowledgeable people so I thought I would join.
I was hoping to learn from the members here what the earliest ripening American persimmon varieties are? I want to have some for eating but also some for deer & ideally varieties that are good for both. I really want to push the northern limits of persimmon. That’s why I’m looking for the earliest ripening varieties. Even a week difference could be important at the northern limits. Right now I’m thinking about trying Journey for zones 4 & 5 mainly for deer due to their size. Although I’m a little worried about it’s tendency to get so loaded with fruit. I’m worried about limb breakage.
Anyway, it would be good to know the ripening order for various varieties like J-59, Meader, Mohler, Yates, 100-46, H118, Journey or any other early ripening varieties you might know the ripening order of. I think Journey is the earliest followed closely by J-59 but I’m not sure about order of the ones I have listed.
I’m getting some 90 chromosome seed for future grafting but for now I only have one 5’ seedling to graft to so I’m looking at getting scion wood for 2 varieties this year. I’m thinking about Journey & Mohler at the moment but if there are better options that could change. I just need to decide relatively soon while I can still get scion wood.
Any info on cold hardiness would be very welcome as well. Americans are said to be cold hardy to zone 4 but I haven’t found much info on specific temperatures they have survived without damage so I’m becoming a little skeptical about that.
Welcome Lance! What part of the world are you located? There are a few members growing in z5 and I think you will have a lot of options, including hybrids like JT-02.
@disc4tw makes a great point as they say it’s location location location! @39thparallel grows a favorite of mine called early golden. It’s not just early it’s not astringent. It’s not a kaki hybrid. It ripens in September and is delicious. Prefer it over almost all other persimmons. Some of those late ripening hybrids are really good which is why I say “almost”. The astringent types are out of the running even when ripe. Diospyros virginiana seed
I am in Z4b Maine and have been growing persimmons for around 10 years. I don’t have a large collection of varieties, but I can attest to their hardiness below -20F. Meader and Prok ripened for me last year, but we also had a long warm autumn
Can’t believe your getting away with growing those I hesitated to try to grow those here in a just slightly warmer climate. Which one was your favorite?
@JesseinMaine
Are Meader and Prok the only varieties you have? Do you have any that ripen consistently year after year?
I’m in 5b but I’m starting a nursery and want to help make them common in at least all of zone 5 and hopefully even zone 4. I just need to find at least one variety that will ripen reliably in zone 4. You are the only person I know off growing them in 4. I’m pretty sure there are a few varieties that ripen earlier than Meader and Prok.
I have a couple others which haven’t fruited yet. Getting them through the first couple winters can be a challenge, I think they can be susceptible to SW injury
@JesseinMaine
SW injury? What other varieties do you have? If you think they might work for you I may look into them even though yours haven’t fruited yet.
Hi
Last Fall Jay helped me put out a data form that growers like you in northern climates could enter their ripening data. We got a few entries but unfortunately not as many as I had hoped. If those on this thread could remember to go in and enter their individual experience which includes all the criteria you would need to know to determine if a variety might ripen in your climate, we would eventually have more reliable data.
Last fall as I coordinated with Cliff England on your very inquiry, he gave me these varieties that seem to be his earliest ripening ones.
100-46 - Lehman’s Delight Persimmon
Early Golden
H-63A Claypool
Prok
Here is the link to Jays data form, and the database of what we collected last fall by some members.
Dennis,
Kent, wa
Wow Dennis, that is a great idea & a very simple questionnaire. I’m surprised some of the best posters I have seen on the subject here like @tonyOmahaz5 haven’t added to the list, but maybe they didn’t have the data written down to add to it. Hopefully they will soon. It could be an extremely helpful easy to use resource for people in northern climates that want to grow persimmons. Just imagine what Cliff England could add! I talked to Cliff a few times this year & he told me Journey is his earliest ripening persimmon, starting late July to early August. Followed closely be J-59. So I’m thinking those have a good chance of ripening even in zone 4. I don’t know if they are good tasting persimmons but they could be used for deer or breeding purposes. Hopefully more people will contribute & maybe even mention the coldest known temps the tree has survived. This is exciting stuff for me!
@GeneH You would probably have to talk to someone like Cliff at England’s to verify this but I don’t think they are the same because Cliff told me J-59 was smaller than Journey which is only about 1.5". England’s Orchard lists Jenny’s Early as has having “a large fruit”. So I’m thinking they are different.
If you think of it also ask him how long a period of time J-59 drops it’s fruit over & if it’s self fruitful & without seeds or needs a male. I forgot to ask him (meant to ask the same about Journey too) & I have bugged him a few times this year so I hate to bother him again until I order. lol
Just out of curiosity, did you get persimmon scions?
Sorry – I´d already sent the question. Like you, I do hesitate to bother him with every question, otherwise I would be sending him an endless stream of them.
He did not really answer whether J-59 is the same as Jenny´s early - but looks like you were able to do that for me. He wrote: J -59 is a little larger than a quarter and the fruit is red; whereas H-118 / Early Jewel a 2.5 to 3 inch Orange fruit. I wonder whether as a general rule, one could say small fruits are able to ripen earlier than larger fruit? Of course there would always be exceptions.
The scions were all persimmons:
H-63A, WS-8-10 (Barbara´s Blush), J-59, I-115, 100-46 (Lehman´s Delight), H-120, JCEG, Knightsville, I-94 (Valeene Beauty). Of these, surely some will ripen in my area. The H-63A was ripe when I visited his orchard last mid-September and was my favorite. So, have high hopes for that one.
