"SugarChile" wrote in message link.net...
It is fun to try and start plants from a fruit you have eaten.
Unfortunately, in this case it's not going to give you the desired results.
The grocery store kiwi needs a warmer climate than yours. The good news is
that there are several hardy kiwis on the market that can do well for you.
Raintree nurseries has some:
http://www.raintreenursery.com/catal...oducttype=ACTI
as does Miller's:
http://www.millernurseries.com/cart....duct_list&c=54
Stark Bros. has the Issai hardy kiwi, which is self-pollinating--you don't
need female/male vines.
http://store.yahoo.com/starkbros/-0235.html
I've grown this one for years. It is an extremely hardy and vigorous vine.
I consider it attractive. I've got it growing on a fence, and it takes a
good deal of pruning each spring to keep it confined to it's allotted space.
Fortunately it blooms on new wood. The berries ripen late in the fall, and
are delicious, although they are not produced in great abundance. It may be
that even though it's self pollinating, it would benefit from a pollinator,
or I could be pruning/growing it incorrectly somehow. I enjoy it for it's
abundant growth, and consider the fruits to be a bonus. Like other hardy
kiwis, they are smooth skinned--no need to peel--and smaller than the
tropical kiwis.

Hope this helps,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


Thank you. I have looked at the sites, and I think I'll get the
combination setup from Miller's. ~$40.00 is a good price if I can get
a nice, bearing pergola full of kiwi. My friends'll either love me or
get sick of me pushing "free" kiwi on them!

Mark