ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702

Persimmon Production

The printable PDF version of the entire document is available at:
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/persimmon.pdf
2 pages — 126K
Download Acrobat Reader

This publication contains references to enclosures which are available in hard copy only. Please call our toll free number to receive a copy.
1-800-346-9140

Persimmon.
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu
/extension/Texascrops/treefruitcrops/

Two distinct persimmon species are cultivated in the U.S. The American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is grown in Hardiness Zones 5-9 and the Asian (Oriental) persimmon, D. kaki, is grown in Zones 7-10. The enclosure "Persimmons? No problem" provides an introduction to the American persimmon.

A good source for a variety of American persimmon cultivars is Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery. (1) The best source of information on American persimmons is through the North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX). (2) NAFEX is an open-membership group of amateur and professional fruit growers. They share information on fruit culture through their quarterly journal, Pomona, and at national and regional meetings. Membership is $19/year, $36/2 years, or $52 for 3 years and includes four issues of Pomona.

NAFEX members have started interest and testing groups for different fruits. The chairperson for the American persimmons interest group is Jerry Lehman. (3) NAFEX also operates a library with books and other publications loaned through the mail. The library has a file on American persimmons, and the out-of-print book, Persimmons for Everyone by E.N.M. Griffith, may be borrowed. A complete NAFEX library booklist is available for $2 from NAFEX. (2)

Asian persimmons are more suited to commercial production than the American persimmon. The enclosure by Dr. Ryugo provides the details of Asian persimmon culture. The enclosure from Pomona pertains to marketing Asian persimmons, an important consideration for this crop, which is still unfamiliar to many Americans. Chestnut Hill Nursery (4), in Florida has one of the widest selections of Asian persimmons (34 cultivars) in the country.

Finally, Mitchell, Indiana, is home to an annual persimmon festival (contact their Chamber of Commerce for more information).

References

Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery
797 Port Wooden Rd.
Upton, KY 42784
502-369-8551
NAFEX
1716 Apples Rd.
Chapin, IL 62628
Jerry Lehman, 7780 Persimmon St., Terre Haute, IN 47802-4994, JWLehman@aol.com
Chestnut Hill Nursery
Rt.1, Box 341
Alachua, FL 32615
800-669-2067

Enclosures

Preston, W.H., Jr. and J.B. Shanks. 1991. On marketing Oriental persimmons. Pomona. Vol. 24, No. 3. p. 39-43.

Reich, L. 1988. Persimmons? No problem. National Gardening. November. p. 39-43.

Ryugo, Kay. 1994. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) cultivars: their management and usages. Fruit Gardener. October. p. 8-10.

Web sites

Northern Nut Growers Association

http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/pers.html
University of California, Davis, site, including links to other Web sites and links to UC persimmon specialists.

www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-377.html
North Carolina State University site.

Possum up a 'simmon tree
Raccoon on the ground
Possum says you son of a gun
Lay my 'simmons down.
-Old song

Persimmon Production
By Guy Ames
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Tiffany Nitschke, HTML Production
CT 121
Slot 37

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT Web site for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.

Site Map | Comments | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Webmaster