kiwi berries (hardy kiwi)

habitat_gardener · November 5, 2008

I don't like hairy-skin kiwi fruits -- they have an acid edge and an off-taste that I find unpleasant -- but I bought a marked-down punnet of "kiwi berries" the other day and loved them. Turns out they're in the same genus (Actinidia arguta) and look exactly the same inside, but are smaller and have smooth green skins and no acid edge -- quite sweet. Now I want to grow them! I saved seeds from the ones that were overripe, and I wonder if it'll be worth my while to grow them from seed, since all the commercial growers use cultivars. (I'll have lots of extra seed, if anyone else wants to try.)
http://www.garden.org/articles/artic...?q=show&id=656

The only downsides seem to be the huge size of the vines and the high water need, and of course you'd need to grow enough vines to make sure you have at least one male.

Has anyone tried growing kiwi berries from seed? Or should I just get an 'Issai' cultivar from Raintree or wherever?

November 5, 2008	#1
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	kiwi berries (hardy kiwi) I don't like hairy-skin kiwi fruits -- they have an acid edge and an off-taste that I find unpleasant -- but I bought a marked-down punnet of "kiwi berries" the other day and loved them. Turns out they're in the same genus (Actinidia arguta) and look exactly the same inside, but are smaller and have smooth green skins and no acid edge -- quite sweet. Now I want to grow them! I saved seeds from the ones that were overripe, and I wonder if it'll be worth my while to grow them from seed, since all the commercial growers use cultivars. (I'll have lots of extra seed, if anyone else wants to try.) http://www.garden.org/articles/artic...?q=show&id=656 The only downsides seem to be the huge size of the vines and the high water need, and of course you'd need to grow enough vines to make sure you have at least one male. Has anyone tried growing kiwi berries from seed? Or should I just get an 'Issai' cultivar from Raintree or wherever?