Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: iggyboy60 on February 22, 2011, 20:36

Title: kiwi
Post by: iggyboy60 on February 22, 2011, 20:36: Does anyone have any advice regarding kiwi plants? I have two which are in pots at the moment and I was wondering if it was possible to put them in the ground to train them up a trellis. Are they fully hardy enough to cope with our winters? At present I move them into my polytunnel to over-winter. They are about three years old. Thanks for any help.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: Kristen on February 22, 2011, 21:26: What variety are they?
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: DD. on February 22, 2011, 21:27: I'm listening.

On impulse Mrs Digger made me buy some seeds at the Eden Project last year.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: Kristen on February 22, 2011, 21:34: I'm on a 3-line-whip to grow some too. I figure that we need Boy + Girl in the greenhouse (as the self fertile ones seem to crop much less reliably / vigorously) - but I also think that the greenhouse Sweetcorn crop will suffer as a result.

Maybe the answer is to just buy another Kew-sized greenhouse for the Kiwis? :D
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: iggyboy60 on February 22, 2011, 21:37: Sorry Kristen,I've no idea what variety they are due to them being an impulse buy at Aldi.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: DD. on February 22, 2011, 21:40: Looks like a year for Kiwi experiments!

(At the same time sparing a thought for our Kiwi cousins in Christchurch).
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: iggyboy60 on February 22, 2011, 21:51: Amen to that DD :(
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: JaK on February 22, 2011, 22:09: I have one in the garden that is climbing up a trelis. I got it as a freebie last summer and seems to still be alive after the snow. The one I have is called 'Jenny'.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: Kristen on February 22, 2011, 22:10: Quote from: iggyboy60 on February 22, 2011, 21:37
Sorry Kristen,I've no idea what variety they are due to them being an impulse buy at Aldi.

Do you remember buying Male + Female, or a self-fertile variety?

I reckon the most likely type would be self fertile (I can't see Aldi faffing about with "Buy both male and Female" - unless they were packaged as a single unit?) and probably Jenny 0 which is somewhat less hardy than the usual Male + Female combis and (so I read) doesn't crop as well. But if you get a decent number of fruits I expect that is all just splitting-hairs.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: tosca100 on February 23, 2011, 10:08: We had one for a few years, self fertile but can't remamber which. It became a bit of a thug and grew like a triffid one year so OH got fed up and chopped it off! Never flowered though.
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: iggyboy60 on February 23, 2011, 11:05: Kristen,I agree that places like Aldi aren't likely to faff about with male/female combis. I will assume the kiwi's are self-fertile and hardy enough to cope with our winter months. When I bought them and a couple of pomegranates,neither had names attached,nor was there any info on how to look after them. I'm not sure who's to blame,me for buying blind or Aldi for selling without info! Hey,hey......thanks anyway ::)
Title: Re: kiwi
Post by: Kristen on February 23, 2011, 11:35: Quote from: iggyboy60 on February 23, 2011, 11:05
I'm not sure who's to blame,me for buying blind or Aldi for selling without info!

So long as they grow, and fruit, and taste good (which I expect they will) the rest is pretty incidental I reckon - no doubt you were able to buy-cheap from Aldi :)