Introducing Chestnut Hill Outdoors 'DEER CANDY' Persimmon Collection

Diospyros virginiana

The new 'Deer Candy' collection features several of our favorite American Persimmon varieties that have been specially selected for their abundant fruit production that is irresistible to deer and other wildlife.

Persimmons are deer candy.  If you have any persimmon trees where you hunt, you know that the deer seek out these small, delicious fruit.  The scientific name for the persimmon is Diospyros, or "fruit of the gods".  For humans, the American Persimmon has alum in the skin, which disappears when the fruit ripens, usually after the first frost.  If you have eaten a persimmon before it was ripe, you know it will suck the wax back out of your ears.  After they ripen, they have a rich, sweet, almost nutty flavor.  Luckily, this does not bother deer or game, which will eat persimmons right off the tree, or when they have fallen on the ground.
Persimmons bear profusely in the fall and are an essential addition, along with our Dunstan chestnut trees to your food plot. The earlier varieties that start to bear in late August early September will lure deer to your site.
When planted along with later bearing varieties in addition to chestnut trees, your plot will produce a steady stream of fruit and nuts that will keep deer coming back all fall for more.

Our 'Deer Candy' Persimmons  are all grafted trees, which means they will come into bearing in 2-3 years.
These American Persimmon varieties are more cold hardy than the Oriental Persimmon and can be grow in plant Zones 5-9.

Deer also like Oriental Persimmons as much as the native persimmons. Cultivar name for the Oriental Persimmons is Diospyros kaki.
These trees bear crops of large fruit, and some varieties are non-astringent, so they will never pucker your mouth.  Though traditionally grown from Zone 7-9, we have some varieties of Oriental Persimmons that will grow as far north as Plant Zone 6. 

Persimmons are easy to grow, and will bear in just a few years.  The native persimmon trees are either male or female (and you can't tell looking at them), and so you should plant several together (3-10) to make sure that you will get at least one female that will bear fruit.