{"podcast":{"title":"Good Growing","slug":"good-growing-421021","podcast_index_feed_id":421021,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/good-growing","website_url":"https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/6x66R9DjmhFzZrmi4ocJQvs5zcgts82CnV8DQcrZaWU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQzNDE1LzE2ODk3/OTA0NTktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Chris Enroth","episode_count":330,"summary":"Talking all things horticulture, ecology, and design.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T22:20:17.877833+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-growing-421021"},"episode":{"title":"Ep. 236 Persimmon Growing Facts & Folklore | #GoodGrowing","slug":"ep-236-persimmon-growing-facts-folklore-goodgrowing","published_at":"2026-01-02T11:31:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-growing-421021/ep-236-persimmon-growing-facts-folklore-goodgrowing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-growing-421021","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/c18b2eb6","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/c18b2eb6/bd4c5fa8.mp3","summary":"Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating world of American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) ! In this episode of the Good Growing Podcast , Chris, Ken, and special guest Nick Frillman explore everything from tree identification and growing tips to wildlife connections and seed stratification . We’ll bust common myths—like whether persimmons need frost to ripen—and uncover quirky folklore, including the famous fork, knife, or spoon winter prediction . Skip to what you want to know: 00:33 Hey Ken! 01:28 Where can we find persimmon growing naturally in Illinois? 05:31 Sprouting persimmon seeds. 07:51 What animals are eating and moving the seeds around Illinois? 08:49 Folklore: Do persimmons require a frost to ripen? 10:15 Can persimmon seeds predict the future winter weather? 15:07 Other persimmon myths/facts 16:56 Persimmon is the sweetest fruit native to Illinois. 17:54 Where can we go to learn more about persimmons? 19:18 Svannah Institute persimmon breeding 19:29 University of Connecticut Climate Smart Orchard Handout 19:50 Thank yous and Happy New Year! Growing and Enjoying Pawpaw and Persimmon with Patrick Byers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy6aZdQ5Fok Cliff England - persimmon breeder James (Jim) Claypool - persimmon breeder (deceased) Cornell - http://www.hort.cornell.edu/fruit/mfruit/persimmons.html Savanna Institute - https://www.savannainstitute.org/persimmon/ Contact us! Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu Nick Frillman frillma2@illinois.edu Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companie…","meta_description":"Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating world of American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) ! In this episode of the Good Growing Podcast , Chris, Ke…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1332,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/good-growing-421021/episodes/ep-236-persimmon-growing-facts-folklore-goodgrowing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-growing-421021/ep-236-persimmon-growing-facts-folklore-goodgrowing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}