Persimmons

Persimmons are the epitome of fall. Right now I am enjoying the Fuyu. Smooth and mellow with a hint of cinnamon, crunchy and crisp and the color! Deep fall orange. I dont think they would taste as good if they ripened in say, July. The summer sun is too harsh for that hue. And if they ripened now but were pink or pale yellow? Nope. They are a perfect fruit for November, for our Thanksgiving tables.

With the persimmon we get lucky, not only are the fruit wonderful but the tree is also a beautiful addition to our yard or garden. While a bit larger than some of the other semi-dwarf fruit trees, it is still considered a small tree, 15 -20 feet. Can be prune some to keep lower, and very old trees may slowly grow larger. The trees have very pests or diseases and are fairly easy to grow. The attractive glossy leaves turn brilliant orange in fall, rivaling the prettiest Pistache for center stage.
We are planting three varieties in our yard this winter: Giant Fuyu, and the CoffeeCake or Nishimura Wase and Chocolate. The first two are the non-astringent type, which you eat while firm. The CoffeeCake (which ripens a few weeks earlier than Fuyu) does require a pollenizer to taste best. I have read some places you can pollenize with Fuyu, but it appears the majority recommend the Chocolate so we will have a astringent variety too. Note: wait until fruit are soft before you taste the acorn shaped, Hachiya types such as Chocolate. You have been warned!
At the nursery we have lot of persimmons in stock, several varieties. They run 48.00 (no tax!) in a 5 gallon can, most of those stand betwen 5 and 6 feet tall. In January we will have them bare root. They arent in containers then but they are a bit lower cost, usually somewhere around 30.00.