Did you know that kiwifruit is more than 700 years old? Kiwifruit history began in the Yang-tse river valley in China, where it was called "Yangtao." The Yangtao was considered a delicacy by the court of the great Khans who cherished its delicious flavor and emerald-green color. The small, brown, fuzzy "Yangtao" fruit grew wild on vines that wrapped around trees. Between 1800 and 1900 knowledge of the fruit spread to other countries, and samples of the fruit and seeds were sent to England. In 1904 plant cuttings were brought to the United States (1999 Produce Availability and Merchandising Guide, The Packer. 1999). Seeds were sent to New Zealand in 1906, and the fruit was renamed the "Chinese Gooseberry" (Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, 1992). New Zealand's "Chinese Gooseberry" variety was first shipped to the United States in 1962, where it was re-named Kiwifruit after New Zealand's national bird the "kiwi." In the 1970s it was grown in California and available for the first time in supermarkets throughout the United States. Most kiwifruit imported to the United States comes from Chile and New Zealand. Kiwifruit is available year-round
How to grow kiwi fruit from seeds:
Remove the kiwifruit seeds, wash them under running water to remove any traces of sugar and lay them on a paper towel to dry for two days.
Add moist perlite to a sandwich bag until it is one quarter full. Push the kiwi seeds into the perlite, seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator where it should remain for four months.
Remove the seeds from the perlite and plant them in a nursery pot filled with moist, sterile potting soil. Push them 1/8 inch into the soil. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and place it in an area with bright, indirect sun.
Remove the plastic wrap when the kiwifruit seeds germinate and cover the surface of the soil with a 1/8-inch layer of sand. Keep the soil slightly moist.
Transplant each seedling into its own planting pot, filled with moist, sterile potting mix, when it has four sets of leaves. Keep the pots in a bright area and maintain moist soil.
Transplant the seedlings into the garden when they are 6 inches or taller and all danger of frost has passed.
Amend the soil in the planting area by adding 3 inches of compost and mixing it to a depth of 10 inches.
Plant the kiwifruit vines 10 feet apart. Choose the strongest cane on each one and tie it to the support post so that it will grow straight up. Do not allow it to twist around the support post.
Fertilize the kiwifruit in the spring of its second year in the garden. Use 2 oz. of 10-10-10 fertilizer scattered around each kiwifruit plant. Add 2 oz. to this amount in each subsequent year until you are giving them the maximum, 8 oz.
