By Island County Extension Agent, Donald B. Meehan
GROWING KIWI
One of the more unusual fruits that we can grow here in Island County is the Kiwi fruit. Many believe it to be a tropical fruit, but in reality it is from China. The plants can cope with our mild winter as long as we don't have any very early fall frosts or late spring frosts.
The fruit itself has hair on it and the meat is a green color. The seeds, which are black, are edible and not offensive to eat. The fruit has its own distinct flavor. It makes an excellent addition to fruit salads and can add a lot of visual as well as varietal change to your meals.
If you want to try growing Kiwi fruit there are some things you need to know. For example, in order to get a crop of fruit you need two plants. One needs to be a male and the other a female plant. Kiwi are like Holly in that each plant has its own sex.
Trying to get the plants may prove the hardest part since they are not always carried by nurseries. If you can't find them on Whidbey Island, then look into some of the larger nurseries in the Seattle-Tacoma area. A few mail order nurseries in California sell them as well.
There is one other way, but it requires patience. It is by simply buying a Kiwi fruit and extracting the seeds. You'll want to put the seeds, wrapped in a paper towel, in a plastic bag. Then place the bag in the refrigerator for three weeks or so to activate the seeds. Plant the seeds in sterilized soil. You'll see them pop through in about three weeks. Once the true leaves have formed you can re-pot them. Transfer them to the garden in the late spring. This method will give you lots of plants. The only problem with it is that they take four years to mature enough so you can determine which sex each one is. The sex of the plant is determined by examination of the flower parts. Males have stamens only and females have pistils only inside the flower.
If you know someone who has a Kiwi you can take cuttings and get a start that way.
Once you have established a crop they need to be picked in order to ripen. Once picked, you'll want to store them in a cool place for two months. Following that period they should be brought inside to room temperature for a week at which time you can eat them.
Kiwi plants can be vigorous growers and will do well on the sunny side of the house. Keep them away from frost pockets and make sure they get enough summer water. Intermix your male and female plants and don't look for any fruit to appear on the male plants, only the female.
I hope you have good luck growing this unusual fruit.
Contact our office for a free brochure on Kiwi fruit.
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