Kiwi Fruit – 20 Seeds

Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) which is also known as Chinese Gooseberry, is a Perennial. A spectacular and vigorous hardy climber for a sunny sheltered wall. The twining stems produce pretty white summer flowers set against a cloak of attractive heart shaped foliage.

Kiwi Fruit Culinary Uses

• It is full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium. They also have a lot of antioxidants and are a good source of fiber.
• Their small black seeds are edible, as is the fuzzy brown peel.
• Packed with more vitamin C than an equivalent amount of orange, the bright green flesh of the fruit speckled with tiny black seeds adds a dramatic tropical flair to any fruit salad.

Growing Kiwi Fruit

Indoor Sowing: Cold Stratification and then sow seeds

Direct Sowing:  Autumn.

• Direct Sow Kiwi Seeds in Autumn.
• Alternatively you can grow the seeds indoors, by first stratifying the seeds for 90 days at around 5 °C.
• Place the seeds in a damp paper towel and seal them in a plastic bag. Keep the bag in the refrigerator for 90 days.
• Mix equal parts of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite to create an appropriate potting mix.
• Fill a seedling tray or individual pots with the soil mixture.
• Remove the seeds from the refrigerator and sow them on top of the soil, ensuring they are spaced apart.
• Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil and water gently.
• Place the seedling tray or pots in a sunny location.
• Kiwi vines are not self fertile. So it is recommended to plant 3 or 4 plants close together to ensure pollination, as you need at least 1 male plant, for successful pollination.
• Only female kiwi plants bear fruit and it takes between 3 – 5 years for fruiting to take place.
• During the spring, both male and female kiwi vines bear prolific, white (sometimes creme-to-pale-yellow) flowers that, when fertilized, become the kiwi fruit.
• The fruits that follow can be harvested in Autumn.