Diospyros kaki 'Early Jiro' ('Maekawa Jiro')

Early Jiro Kaki Persimmon is a popular, early-ripening Japanese persimmon variety, which produces numerous, flavourful, sweet, orange fruits. It is one of the most cold-hardy Kaki varieties. Diospyros kaki 'Early Jiro' is naturally compact, growing 12 feet to 15 feet in height, and around 8 feet to 10 feet wide. Fruits of Early Jiro are flavourful, medium to large, with a slightly flattened square shape. It produces bell-shaped, ornamentally insignificant flowers in June. This Japanese Persimmon has glossy, green, oval-shaped foliage that turns reddish-orange in fall. It is also known as Maekawa Jiro Persimmon (Diospyros kaki 'Maekawa Jiro').

Early Jiro Persimmon tree begins bearing fruit 2 to 3 years after planting. It is self-pollinating, but planting two cultivars together will help to get larger fruits. The fruit rind is smooth, waxy, and orange. It has sweet, non-astringent, low-tannin, seedless, crunchy flesh. The fruits can be eaten firm like an apple or when they are soft like a ripe tomato. Use for cooking or eat fresh. Fruits of Early Jiro Japanese Persimmon are rich in vitamins A and C, and antioxidants. They are an excellent source of fibre.

The Early Jiro Kaki Persimmon plant prefers to grow in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It is low maintenance and only requires light annual pruning. Easy to grow, and not usually bothered by pests or diseases, it is an excellent fruit tree that can act as an attractive specimen tree in a small garden. Persimmon plants usually produce suckers that are not a part of the trunk, which should be removed to promote healthy growth of the main Persimmon tree.