How to Grow Kiwi and Gooseberries Fruit

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Easy-care gooseberries come in several colors.
Easy-care gooseberries come in several colors.
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Easy-care gooseberries come in several colors.
Easy-care gooseberries come in several colors.

Learn tips on how to grow kiwi and gooseberries on your homestead.

Information you need to know to grow kiwi and gooseberries. Kiwifruit (Actinidia species), also known as Chinese gooseberry, can be grown just about anywhere in North America. The growing range for the familiar fuzzy brown fruit (hardy to zero degrees, U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 7 to 9) is quite limited, as the fruit needs 225 to 240 frost-free days to ripen. Both the hardy kiwis (hardy to minus 25 degrees, Zones 4 to 9) and the “Arctic Beauty” kiwi (hardy to minus 40 degrees, Zones 3 to 9) can be grown in most areas, with the first fruits ripening sometime in August, about 125 days after flowering.

This family of fast-growing vines needs several things: a rich, well-drained soil (apply a mulch of compost or aged manure in early-to-late spring); a strong support, such as a sturdy arbor, trellis or fence; consistent summer irrigation; and a male plant of the same species for pollination. (One male plant can pollinate up to eight adjacent females.)

There are several differences among kiwi species. Both hardy and “Arctic Beauty” kiwifruit bear fruit the size of a large grape. Their flavor is sweeter and more intense than the fuzzy kiwi. Their tender green or reddish skin is totally fuzzless and edible. No peeling is required — just pop them in your mouth!

  • Published on Dec 1, 2002
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