Meet Percy the persimmon tree, who’s just been planted from the Portland Nursery. Percy is a Fuyu Jiro persimmon, the flatter and non-astringent varietal, distinct from the larger Hachiya persimmon.

We have never planted a fruit tree before, and tried to familiarize ourselves with the basics prior to planting. The key points I picked up were to dig a wide area, insulate with mulch, and to not bury the tree too deep. In the case of Fuyu persimmons, they grow well in both cold and temperate climates, around agricultural zones 6-11 (Portland is primarily zone 8). Persimmons also require 200 chill hours to flower, which Portland provides.

Percy is 1-year old, and while persimmons can bear fruit as soon as that, we don’t expect a significant harvest for at least a few years. When it does bear fruit we’ve learned that thinning can help reduce stress on the tree and ensure the fruits are the best that they can be.

Finally, we think we planted Percy far enough from the fence but persimmons typically grow 20 - 30 feet and up to 60 feet, so we may have underestimated that aspect.