Different weather conditions surely affect flavor. I have two Asian Pears and most years Hosui are the best tasting. Once every four or five years the Shinseiki are just amazing. In those years the Hosui are kind of bland.

The oriental persimmons I grow are Ichi, Wasa Fuyu and Hana Fuyu. If I had it to do over again, I would not have planted three non-astringent persimmons. The astringent ones are safe from squirrels and also protect non-astringents planted nearby.

GB, how many year did it took for Smith best to produce in the 25 gallon pot?

GB, it is always nice to hear a report on a particular variety.

Is your Smith's Best pollinated?

It had two fruit in its second year from the mail-order nursery (so not too big to begin with). I know I should have removed them to throw growth into wood, but who can bear the temptation to taste it soon? The plant is probably not more that 4-5 feet tall, with one fruit still left on for my son to taste when ripe.

I forget whether there were a few seeds in it, but there are many other Asian and native persimmons near it. Some other Asian persimmons have seeds, so some male flowers seem to be around. I forget the details of Asian persimmon pollination.

Is giboshi the same as smiths best? I just got my first giboshi, they're very very good

From what I understand smiths best and giboshi are the same variety. It is one of my favorites for several reasons. The tree is dwarf, very productive even without a male tree around and they ripen fairly early. I usually harvest most of mine around Halloween though a few fruits will ripen earlier than this. And the flavor is rich and quite sweet. These are so good scooped into a bowl and cream added.