Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Kiwifruit (
Actinidia spp.
)
Kiwifruit, especially the hardy vines, are pretty and productive in the landscape. They are a great
option for climbing plants along an arbor, trellis, archway, fence, or wall. Kiwifruit vines have
pretty foliage (sometimes variegated) and yummy, edible fruit. Kiwifruit (
A. deliciosa
) is hardy in
zones 7 through 9, and hardy kiwifruit (
A. arguta
) is hardy in zones 4 through 9.
Kiwi vines need cross-pollination between male and female vines. You'll need a minimum of one
male vine for every eight female vines to make sure you get good pollination. Late frosts can dam-
age pollen and hurt fruit production for the year, so if you expect a late freeze you can protect the
vines by wrapping them in burlap or piling on straw to try to save the productivity.
Kiwifruit vines will grow huge in optimum conditions so lots of pruning may be necessary. They
usually grow best in full sun, but in hot climates they'll appreciate some part shade. Give your
vines well-drained soil and prune yearly to avoid overcrowding, and you'll prevent most diseases.
Japanese beetles tend to be the biggest pest problem, so you may set traps if you see them hovering
around your vines.
Prune kiwifruit vines the second year, after they put on a good year's worth of growth. Don't be
afraid to prune them back pretty good each year in late winter or early spring to just a few inches
of growth from the previous year. In optimal regions your kiwi vine is capable of growing 20 feet
in a single year, so you might have to prune back the growing tips during the summer as well.
Harvest kiwifruit when they are just a tad underripe and they will soften when you pick them.
Kiwi will ripen quicker at room temperature but will store for a few weeks in the fridge. Hardy
kiwi has thinner skin that isn't as fuzzy as the traditional kiwis you find in the grocery store, and is
smaller in size.
Melons (
Cucumis melo
or
Citrullus lanatus
)
No vegetable garden is complete without a sweet, mouth-watering melon ripe off the vine. Notorious
for being hard to grow and taking up a lot of space in the garden, I have success growing them verti-
cally. In our small garden space I only grow a few vines of varieties that produce smaller fruit that
can be trellised without breaking off the vine.
There are four main kinds of melons: watermelons, American cantaloupe (muskmelons), honeydew,
and specialty melons such as Asian melons. Watermelons tend to resist bacterial wilt better than
the others, but require between 80 and 100 days of true summer-warm weather. Honeydew are like
watermelons, needing about 100 days to ripen. Cantaloupes tend to mature faster and need 75 to
85 days, depending on the variety.
Melons are traditionally grown on hills because they need fertile, well-drained soil to produce well.
It is easy to build up a 3-foot hill of rich compost, instead of heavily fertilizing the entire garden
space. The raised hill also aids in good drainage.
