How to Raise Hardy Kiwi Fruit
- 1). Select a site for your hardy kiwi where it will get full sun, similar to an area where you might plant a grape vine. The soil needs to be fertile, as the vine grows fast and full in one growing season. Install a strong arbor or trellis to hold the weight of the large vine.
- 2). Dig a hole to plant the kiwi plant, as large as the plant pot it is growing in or more. Make sure the soil is well draining, adding amendments if necessary such as vermiculite and sand. Work the soil around the perimeter of the inside of the planting hole with a shovel so the roots will be able to stretch out. Plant at least one male and one female hardy kiwi plant within 15 feet of each other for fruit production.
- 3). Water the kiwi in the container before you plant it. Set the plant in the hole near the trellis post you want to support it. Replace half the dirt around the plant and fill the rest of the hole with water. Let it settle the dirt and fill in the rest of the dirt.
- 4). Keep watering the kiwi plant every few days until you see new signs of growth. Make sure to water the area within a 12- to 18-inch perimeter of the stem, as the roots will stretch out quickly.
- 5). Fertilize the kiwi every month with 1 inch of well-rotted compost sprinkled over the surface of the soil within a 24-inch perimeter of the stem. Weed the area around the kiwi vines to prevent other plants from stealing the nutrients in the soil.
- 6). Prune the hardy kiwi vigorously, even more than a grape vine, to keep it in check. Train one vine to grow straight up the trellis. Prune back all the side growth to form one main trunk in early February. Trim back growth to eight buds on a branch and space out the branches to every 12 inches.
- 7). Harvest the fruit in early September when the fruit has ripened into its full sweetness.
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