Fuzzy kiwi
Actinidia deliciosa
The grocery kiwi; needs a male and a female vine.
Hardiness: zones 7 to 9
Light: full sun
Size: about 25 ft tall, 15 ft wide
Harvest: October to November
From: S. China
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food.
Native to: East Asia. Hardy in zones 7 to 9.
The story
Kiwifruit grew wild in the Yangtze valley, where it was gathered as the mihoutao, monkey peach; a New Zealand school principal brought seed home in 1904, and growers renamed the Chinese gooseberry after their national bird in the 1950s.
Planting
Full sun, rich drained soil, and a very strong trellis or arbor; a vine can weigh hundreds of pounds. Plant one male for up to eight females, in spring after frost.
Growing
Water heavily through summer, feed in spring, and prune twice: hard in winter to spurs, lightly in summer to control the jungle. Protect young trunks from frost.
Harvest and use
Pick in late autumn when the seeds inside are black and the fruit still firm; ripen indoors over weeks in a bag with an apple.
What to watch for
Late spring frost on new growth, wind, and cats, which love the vine like catnip.
See if Fuzzy kiwi fits your yard
Free planner: enter your ZIP for frost dates, climate fit and a sowing calendar. No account, no ads, no tracking cookies.
More vines
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home