A month ago I started some Kiwi seeds, and yesterday they all sprouted in their pots. Now with doing some research, these baby's grow like wildfire and need support. So growing these guys in the house is a no go. Can I plant my kiwi outside, come summer? I live in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. I know they'll die come Fall.. But just to have some vines grow would be cool. I know it'll never flower. Any tips? Much appreciated.
Watch that your seedling don't get to wet, they rot very easily. As for growing in Canada, what type of kiwi are you growing and what is your zone? The 'standard hardy kiwi' grown is Actinidia deliciosa - fuzzy kiwi.....which is the one found in grocery stores. They are cold hardy to zone 4/5 but you do need a male and a female to acquire fruit, although both will flower (female kiwi will have long sticky stigmas radiating out from the center of the bloom but will not produce pollen). If you want a self fertile variety, try A. arguta Issai; this type will produce fruit without a pollinator. The fruit is about the size of a grape and rather tasty. Zones 6 - 9
In addition to the advice above, you have a number of vines available to you in southern Ontario (including some native ones). A (non-native) one to look for is hardy kiwi
Thanks for the reply guys! I live in Zone 5b, and I'm growing Actinidia Deliciosa. It's the only avaliable kiwi at my grocery store.
And it is usually the only one you will find in stores - although here in Vancouver you can occasionally get the wonderfully tasting gold kiwi - A. Chinensis - but they are zone 7/8. However you should check out your local nurseries come spring and make some inquiries; a few years back you could only purchase A. Deliciosa here in Vancouver but now there are several varieties of A. Arguta, as well as A. Kolomikta (aka Arctic Beauty, aka Hardy kiwi) and even some of the unusual varieties such as A. Pilosula (I'm currently growing 8 different varieties, including the gold). And if you want any chance at fruit - which is not difficult - it is best to purchase from a nursery/garden center because you can get both male and female where as it could be a very LONG time before your seedling are big enough to do anything. FYI, they will attach different names to the plants to distinguish 'sex', such as A. Chinensis 'sunshine' for the female and A. Chinensis 'tiger' for the male),
