PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Kiwi (Issai)
Actinidia arguta
A hardy, self-fertile "kiwiberry" vine: grape-sized, smooth-skinned kiwis you eat whole. Trains on a sunny wall, fence or pergola.
At a glance: harvest in September.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Kiwi (Issai): what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Water well while fruit swells
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained soil
- Spacing
- 3 m
- Height
- 3–4 m
- In pots
- Only in large containers
- Feeding
- Sulphate of potash in late winter; mulch with compost
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 5–8
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Step by step
- On planting day
Plant
Plant 3 m apart in weed-free, well-prepared soil enriched with compost, and water in well.
- 0–3 days after “Plant”
Put Up Support Wires
Fix horizontal wires 45 cm apart on the wall or fence and tie in the main stem.
- 7–21 days after “Put Up Support Wires”
Mulch
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plants to keep moisture in and weeds down.
Every year
- JanuaryWinter Prune
While dormant, cut back side shoots that fruited last year to 2–3 buds beyond the last fruit.
- AprilProtect New Shoots
Late frosts scorch the young shoots — cover with fleece on frosty nights.
- JulySummer Prune
Pinch out the tips of fruiting shoots at 5–6 leaves beyond the last flowers.
- SeptemberPick Kiwiberries
Pick when soft to the touch, or pick firm and ripen indoors for a few days.
Starts from year 3.
