2. Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) Being able to grow and eat your own food is rewarding, and it's back as a big garden trend. So planting fruit trees in your backyard is a wonderful idea.

This week, we meet the persimmon or Diospyros virginiana, one of Indiana’s fruit producing trees. The alternately held leaves of persimmon are oval shaped with smooth margins, with no lobes or teeth.

This year, I was delighted to see the return of American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) to the tree list. Several years ago, I took home a tiny, 3-foot-tall seedling and it has since grown into ...