I hope persimmon experts like Creekweb, Persimmon Bob or Tony would chime in.

If I were you, I'd start with checking websites of nurseries like English Orchard and Nursery, Just Fruit and Exotic nursery and Edible Landscaping nursery. They offer more varieties with good descriptions and are reputable.

Zone 6.5 could be iffy for non-astringent as it's not as cold hardy as the astringent ones. If we have a winter like we had these past two years, you trees could be toasted without winter protection.

Tam Kam is often said to be one of the most cold hardy and tastes good for zone 6. Fuyu is better for zone 7 or higher.

Non-astringent persimmons will mostly all be grafted trees - these don't grow very large and in any case you can prune to suit your needs. The vendors mentioned in the previous post are good. I would recommend ordering now for spring delivery and plant in late March or early April. You may want to order a larger size tree which is an option except I believe at Just Fruits.

A potential problem with these trees as compared to astringent varieties is heavy losses of fruit to squirrels. If you live in suburban NJ, you are likely to face high squirrel pressure which may give added but not insurmountable challenges to raising this fruit.

I would only use mail order nurseries if you are searching for a hard-to-find unusual variety.

Am I to understand that squirrels prefer non astringent varieties? If so what would stop them from waiting for the astringent varieties to become non astringent?

Thanks for all the comments. I am not looking for exotic variety. Just non astringent, cold hardy, sweet tasting, and prefer smaller size tree. I just have not seen them in local nurseries. I just I can call around to see if they stock them in the spring. Otherwise, I would preorder at one of those mail order place recommended.

Speaking of squirrel... This summer we saw very few squirrels around. Judging on the amount of acorns fallen in the yard, next year will be a bumper year for the critters.

"Am I to understand that squirrels prefer non astringent varieties? If so what would stop them from waiting for the astringent varieties to become non astringent?"

Unripe astringent persimmons are probably as nasty for squirrels as they are for humans - they leave them alone. Where there is high squirrel pressure, some varieties of astringent persimmon can be picked while still astringent and then allowed to lose their astringency in safety indoors. Non-astringent persimmons don't have that protection leaving hungry squirrels an extended period when they are free to feast.

I grow several persimmon varieties both oriental and native and have loads of squirrels on my property however I have never known of them taking any of my fruits including the non astringent varieties. I do know a lady that lives 15 or so miles from me and she has had squirrel damage in some years but not enough to worry about. I guess it depends on where one is located and some years may be worse/better than others.

Squirrel pressure peaked late here, and of all things, I lost astringent persimmons. I had harvested crop after crop of fruit during the year somehow dodging the squirrels, but I guess I pressed my luck a little too hard by leaving fully ripe Rosseyanka persimmons on the tree for aesthetic value. In a very short period of time I lost the majority of my crop. Weatherwise, it was just a very atypical year here with the Rosseyanka ripening earlier than they usually do, and the squirrels exploited this unusual vulnerability.

Creekweb, I know this convo is very old but I have a question. I just purchased an IMOTO Persimmon (Kaki) tree. It is a grafted version. The tag says it grows up to 30 feet but online most vendors say it is a natural dwarf. I planted it in a micro zone near my house (I'm in zone 7a) and now I am concerned about whether or not the roots of the persimmon can damage my house foundation if I allow it to mature. Do you know if persimmon trees can grow near a building or not?

There’s going to be some risk in planting a tree of unknown maturity size close to a building, but many of the kaki varieties are dwarfs and unlikely to cause problems. I planted kaki variety Saijo 20 years ago about 6 feet from the southern side of my house, and it has turned out not to be a dwarf and grown to 20 feet, and while I don’t really know for sure, I don’t expect it to cause any perceptible problems with my house’s foundation.