Hi, Gina; welcome aboard, and congrats on being the first member to post to the Persimmon forum!
Hopefully, we'll soon be populated with a bevy of persimmon affectionados, many of whom can bring their enthusiasm and a high level of experience to the table.
I'm located in southern west-central KY, about an hour NW of Nashville TN. I've been collecting and propagating persimmons - mostly selections of the native American, D.virginiana - for about 10 years now. Most are still too young to bear fruit, but I have been getting a few fruits off some of the first ones I grafted. Easter Big Freeze Disaster this year pretty well assured us of no persimmon fruits, and killed a few of my grafted trees back to the rootstock.
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Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY