I got my Early Golden seedlings (seeds from Perfect Circle) buried for the winter. Have been picking up seeds from various growers as north as I can find. I figure if I can plant 50 or so, I can give solid attempt to get them to grow in Z4a. Mercer WI is solidly in the Lake Superior snow belt. We have a very short spring and a very long fall due to all the water/ice/snow which helps with winter damage, but do see near -30F every few years. Yes I know I probably won’t be successful but won’t be for lack of trying.
1 Like
The majority of the American persimmon varieties at my old house survived to -28F for a few nights every 10 years or so with this low Polar Vortex in my Z5b. Most of the times -5F to -10 for a few nights were normal.
3 Likes
I have a plot waiting for your persimmon tree in my zone 4b backyard orchard.
I love my Early Golden, does very well for me in the same zone as you. My Szukis had its first year of fruit which I also liked. My Yates had flowers this spring but fruit didn’t develop. I grafted the following this past spring Kasandra, Prok, Dollywood, Barbara’s Blush, Paradise and Early Jewel.
2 Likes
I should add that I lost my Nikita’s Gift and Rosseyanka in their first winter with a -20F low, they were very small grafts. I’m also growing Meader but Early Golden is much better. Might get flowers on my Keener next year and I have about 60 Prok x Szukis seedlings.
2 Likes
I was curious about trying some of the hybrid persimmon types, like Rosseyanka or Sophie’s Gift. However, I was under the impression that they would not ripen in time in our climates.
2 Likes
A good friend has had success with Kasandra in western Massachusetts so I had to give it a try. I will try other hybrids since I’m planting for our warming climate. Vermont’s winters are so much warmer than they use to be and our growing season much longer.
1 Like
Red Fern Farm in Iowa east of Des Moines has a list of scions they sell. I saw another cold-hardy scion on their list;
Iowa Arboretum South: Large fruit with very good flavor and very cold-hardy. Original tree is from the Iowa Arboretum near Ames, IA, about 200 miles NW of the persimmon’s native range. Fruit is pale yellow when ripe.
Ames, Iowa was zone 5a having recorded -33 F in 2009 and -28 F two nights in 1996. It is just north of the state of Ohio, from which the wild find Yates originates.
Their scion list is here:
I don’t see how they would get complete fruit from Leman’s Delight 100-46 at the edge of Zone 5a, but their summer is 3 weeks longer than Minneapolis.
2 Likes
I got this info from Tom about this selection, ‘Iowa Arboretum Male and Female are seedlings of now unknown grafted trees planted by Brian Sparks at the Iowa Arboretum near Luther, Iowa at least 40 years ago. They may have been destroyed in a derecho in August, 2020.’
As for Yates/Juhl I doubt this information… This cultivar was first introduced by John Talbott’s nursery from Indiana somewhere in the 50’s. I remember that they have in they offer EG seedlings (fathered by wild males). Maybe @k-rho have genetic results which can prove this theory.
1 Like
NC-10 was the first persimmon cultivar I grafted, 30 yrs ago. Zone 6, recently ‘moved’ to zone 7, on the updated USDA map.
NC-10 is consistently the earliest-ripening persimmon in my orchard, usually dropping ripe fruits by 10 September.
2 Likes
I was wondering if anyone started collecting info from the big persimmon and/or pawpaw players on the possibly early-mid varieties (not just lowest temp survived but can they ripen fruit in that zone). Maybe i can get Cliff/Buzz/TimothyLane and others in this forum to update (i already asked Cliff about a few of these and Red Fern).
I only asked them about zone 5b, but the format could look like (i was trying to figure out a way to do it without ‘pivot tables’ in each cell as i dont think Google Sheets offers that, so i came up with this simple format for each cell… Does that 1 person say it can ripen for a series of zones and how late does it ripen in that set of zones ).
5a: “prob yes”(late) |
5b/6a: “def yes”(mid) |
6b/7a: “def yes”(early-mid) |
7b+: “def yes”(early)
Note: Tom @ RedFern mentioned this “Persimmons that ripen just fine in zone 5b Iowa might not ripen in zone 5b Michigan or 5b Vermont.” so this format may not be 100% perfect.
4 Likes
As someone in zone 8 with summers colder than Monreal I would find it more convenient if you measured ripening time in GDD and days since last frost. I didn’t find an established phenological model for persimmons so I don’t know what exactly the key temperatures are
5 Likes
That was my thought, although this winter is blowing that theory out of the water!
I grafted 100-46 with scion from Red Fern Farm a number of years back. One of the grafts fruited the last three years now. Two seasons ago an early freeze meant I got no good fruit from it, but the other two years they fully ripened. I’m about 50 miles north of RFF, 5a E. IA 42°N. I’m guessing they get ripe fruit from their 100-46 most or all years.
2 Likes
Today is Feb 14, 2026. If you search the inventory in St. Cloud MN and Baxter MN, you will see the hardware store Menards has persimmons in stock. I cannot imagine how long they will survive. It is labeled as miscellaneous American Persimmon seeding.
They also have figs at Council Bluffs, IA, which is basically the east side of Omaha, Nebraska.
And Plumcot in more Iowa locations.
1 Like
Spending money on a random American persimmon seedling for MN seems like a probable waste of time. Even if it survives, who knows if it has early ripening genetics which would be mandatory for Minnesota’s lower growing degree day accumulation.
I’ve seen a fig survive in a park in Cedar Rapids, IA but never set fruit. It freezes to the ground each year, spends too much energy regrowing. Council bluffs is a half a zone warmer than CR. Still, without extra effort to cage and insulate the fig I doubt it would produce. It sucks that the big box stores sell this stuff to the general public. Uninformed customers will buy it expecting success and be subsequently turned off from growing wonderful fruits in the future because of a bad experience.
4 Likes
I’m also currently in the process of receiving some persimmons, I know I said once before I wouldn’t, but I figured why not xD I got 2 prairie star, one meader, and one male. What I’m planning to do for next winter…. is wrapping the trunks in burlap until they acclimate to the conditions.
1 Like
TBH, I’ve heard a recommendation not to get the males. The named cultivars of American persimmons are normally self-fertile / self-fruiting. If you are this far north, by not having a male around you can enjoy their fruit (mostly) without seeds. Which could be desirable because the persimmons may end up being no larger than the size of a grape regardless of how large they grow further south.
Multiple posters have said their Meader was so heavy bearing that its branches snapped under the weight of its fruit. If it’s that heavy bearing, I’ll suggest it doesn’t need a pollinator.
2 Likes
Meader will set a few seeds. Mine is not heavy bearing. I believe pollination will give a heavier fruit set.
What benefit will the burlap provide?