Happy days for persimmons here in Maine as the season for other fruit is winding down. …one of my seedling trees set fruit for the first time and they are now turning orange and beginning to soften…I will update when they ripen fully, hopefully not too long for no!
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I planted 3 yesterday. I live way up there near Montreal, Qc (zone 5) 
A friend has been growing them for 3 years (not fruited yet).
They seem to be hardy enough for our weather.
Cheers,
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An American persimmon is on my list for 2019! I have never tasted one though, and maybe that is unwise, as I really am unimpressed with the Fuyu I tried. I found it very sweet but very dull!
People say American persimmons have a complex flavor- in what way? Spicy? I guess anything would seem complex when compared with Fuyu persimmon!
One Green World has a lot of interesting cultivars for sale, I was thinking of buying from them. I’ll be making it into an espalier, as I’m running out of room for trees. I haven’t found any evidence online of anyone doing an American persimmon espalier… maybe there’s a reason for that, or maybe not a lot of people grow American persimmons, much less espalier them?
Anyone on here grow OGW varieties? Such as John Rick, Garretson, Early Golden, Prairie Dawn, Prairie Star, Prairie Sun, Mohler? They have stated they are “apparently self fertile.” I wouldn’t buy one if I had to buy a male.
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Katie I added an American persimmon to my yard this spring, never tasted one though. I did eat couple of Asian persimmons before I added the tree. I plan on grafting Asian varieties to my American persimmon tree. Mamuang introduced me to Schlabachs nursery in Medina, NY. I bought my seedling from them. Their catalog doesn’t list persimmon. I was ordering pear trees and figured I’d check with them for persimmon just in case. They happened to have it and shipped it with rest of my order. It’s doing great now. You might want to check with them. Quick google search should bring up the phone number if you are interested. They don’t have a website.
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I had grafted some american persimmons in small (too small) pots last year and they flowered this spring. Unfortunately, I moved this spring/summer and I meant to plant them out to a relative’s property. I never got to planting them and they probably died without water this summer. (Hey, I feel bad, but I have a 4 month old and moved this summer.)
Based on my observation of precocious flowering, I think that you’d probably be able to keep them small. But mine likely flowered that way because they were about to bite the dust.
I believe they fruit on new shoots formed in the spring of the year. So probably OK for espalier - e.g. not as challenging as peaches in that form. There has to be something on small-form D. kaki from the Japanese since they are the master of small trees.
I have some D. virginiana from Burnt Ridge planted in the ground in SE Iowa and they have died back to the ground every year for the last 3 winters. I’d find the most hardy varieties. And I expressly asked Burnt Ridge if there seed was northern provenance and they said yes. 
Not sure why they winter kill so bad here. That site cannot be much colder than Red Fern Farm.
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Katie, my understanding is that OGW’s “Praire” series are trademarked names for Jim Claypool’s varieties. I believe Praire Dawn is H63A. Does anyone know what the others are? I tasted H63A recently and it was truly excellent. Also great is NB-02 (Zima Khurma) which Cliff England sells…I thought it was among best of what I tasted, along with Kasandra, which is another hybrid. Kasandra holds its fruit and has the taste of a kaki, but with some extra complexity. I have a Kasandra now, but I’m hoping to one day get a few others.
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As to the question of flavor, I don’t know if I would necessarily call it spicy. I’ve tasted mild notes of rum, raisin, citrus, to name a few. Among the best of what I tasted recently at England’s Orchard are H63A, WS 8-10, 100-46, Prok, Wonderful. The hybrids we tasted include Rosseyanka, Kasandra and NB-02. NB-02 is the most similar to a virginiana in flavor and drops its fruit. If I could have four trees it would be Kasandra and Rosseyanka for their milder taste and holding their fruit, and NB-02 and H63A for great sweetness but with the added virginiana complexity.
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Katie,
You definitely want an extremely early variety for your climate. ‘Prok’ is super. If One Green World has Claypool H-118 that’s aka Early Jewel. Both are very early.
What I do not recommend is Early Golden because it is hermaphroditic. You will seeded fruit. Believe me when I say that seedless persimmons are the only way to go. Do your research on the one you select. I don’t know any of those cultivars OGW sells except H-63A which is absolutely wonderful but later ripening and I wouldn’t chance it in zone 4b.
@Levers101 you got hosed my brother!
Dax
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Think it would be worth it to buy a seedling from Red Fern Farm directly? My understanding is that seedling means a random sprout from decent parentage… which would probably be more cold hardy, but is not guaranteed to be excellent. Hmm…
Dax, I keep seeing Prok listed as zone 5. I am thinking about Prairie Sun, which is supposed to be early ripening according to OGW and Northwoods Nursery. It’s also seedless. As I pack my yard to the brink of what it can support, I am being more and more careful to pick fruit that is the very best for my area! No space for duds.
@nik_umesh Rum raisin and citrus sounds tasty! I’ve seen such great reviews for the hybrids, I wish I could grow them here! Just a titch too cold, I think.
Burnt Ridge has Prairie Sun listed as Claypool’s A-33
I feel like I’m missing out on something since I’ve only tried a few store bought persimmons and they where bland and unappealing. Dull is a good description. I’ll be looking for some in the markets again this year and hope I can find one I like.
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Prairie Star is H-118 aka Early Jewel. @tonyOmahaz5 likes it a lot. Tony when did it ripen this year for you in comparison to Prok or any of your persimmons?
Katie, consider it at or near the top of your list, however, be sure OGW’s rootstock is Diospyros virginiana & you should go further to ask the provenance of their seed source… I would ask. Sure their website says zone 4 but double check their rootstock source.
It’s also one of Jerry Lehman’s favorites and he’s one of the leading experts.
Dax
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Thanks, great advice!
I’ve heard people who love American persimmon here sing praises of American persimmon taste. I tried a couple last year from a friend’s. He gave me bunch again this year.
My friend planted a Yates and a Prok several years ago. One died and the other has thrived. He could not remember if the surviving is Yayes or Prok.
The texture is like jelly. The taste is very sweet, perfumed and intense.
I’ve eaten Asian persimmons for years and like them. It has firm/crunchy texture with a mildly sweet taste. It is true that once you taste American persimmon, Asian persimmon’s taste seems diminished/pale by comparison.
However, because of intense taste of persimmons, I cannot eat more than one or two of them at a time. I feel nauseous by the intensely perfumed sweet taste of it. I don’t mind the the jelly/jello texture at all.
I may be the odd man out here but I want those of you who have not tried American persimmons to think about what if you don’t like the taste or texture of it.
I now have 4 persimmon trees (3 in ground and 1 in pot). I am not sure if I need that many trees of the fruit that I’m not sure about. Maybe, I have not eaten the best ones yet.
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I do hope to try them, I had tried last week to go you-pick at red fern farm in Iowa. I got rained out. Crossing my fingers for next week. Maybe I’ll change my mind- either way I’ll report back. If they still have some to pick, that is.
My prok rippened around the first week of September this year. H-118 rippened around September 15th. The good thing about this two is no trace of astringency when soft ripened.
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Thank you, Tony.
For me unlike Mamuang, I can eat persimmon after persimmon.
Dax
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These were what I got from my friend. I gave some to another friend yesterday knowing I could not finish them all by myself.
c
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Yummm 
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