Harvesting Persimmons are ready to harvest from September to December, depending on the variety. Asian fruits hold tightly to the branches, so you may need pruners to remove them. Harvest nonastringent varieties, such as Fuyu, when they're still firm but have full color. Harvest astringent Asian varieties when the skin of the fruit turns translucent and the calyx readily separates. Or leave either kind on the tree to ripen into the winter as long as temperatures don't get below the mid-20s.
American persimmons drop off the tree when ripe.
If raccoons, opossums or birds begin to eat the ripening fruit first, pick the astringent varieties when they're just beginning to soften and place them in a plastic bag with a few bananas for 7 to 10 days in a warm room. The ethylene gas given off by the bananas will ripen the persimmons. Earliest ripening of nonastringent types. Recommended for the Gulf Coast. Similar to Fuyu but has larger, flatter fruits.