'Anna' Hardy Kiwi pictured above can turn almost brown when the fruit is exposed to full sun.
Hardy Kiwi
Actinidia arguta
Hardy Kiwi is a smaller cousin of the familiar kiwi found in grocery stores.
The fruit grows about grapes size, does not have the fuzzy skin so you eat the entire fruit.
It tastes great and is much sweeter than the common kiwi fruit found in stores.
The fruit might not look as good after the first frost, but the taste is even sweeter. Photo taken October 24th, 2023 after the first light frost.
This is close to half of the harvest with no male pollinator.
Anna at the top left side of the bowl and the Meader at the bottom right side of the bowl.
This is close to half of the harvest with no male pollinator.
Anna at the top left side of the bowl and the Meader at the bottom right side of the bowl.
Harvesting kiwi after the first frost makes the sugars concentrate and the fruits taste sweeter.
Male, Female and Male/Female flowers are blooming on the self fertile vine of this variety June 9, 2023.
'Meader Self Fertile Kiwi' is my best hardy Kiwi.
It produces fruit almost every year.
It produces fruit over an extended time period, several weeks.
If pollinates my Anna hardy kiwi well.
Anna does not have enough time to ripen every year for me.
I labeled these "Meader" and "Anna"
I can find little information about a "Meader Self Fertile" hardy kiwi.
Willis Orchards use to have a Meader self-fertile for sale, they say,
"The Meader Hardy Kiwi is an unusual Arctic Kiwi, because it is male and self-fertile. The Meader Hardy Kiwi is an excellent pollinator, but will also produce a crop of reddish green fruits that have a delicious, sweet-tart kiwi flavor. The Meader Hardy Kiwi is very resistant to pests and diseases. The kiwi tolerates shade, but fruits better in full sun. Meader Hardy kiwi plants are cold tolerant for zones 5-8."
My Meader and Anna do not have a male pollinator.
Yet they both produce tons of fruit!
I bought the Meader self fertile variety from a Home Depot in 2006. It had a label that said Self Fertile. Another sign said "Meader" Kiwi.
Many stores tend to mislabel plants, and many people claim that Meader is either Male or Female.
My vine is definitely Self Fertile and also pollinates Anna.
My Anna and Meader hardy kiwi produce fruit with out a male.
My MSU hardy Kiwi only produces a few kiwi, 10 - 30 kiwi a year without a male.
The Meader Self Fertile produces about two weeks earlier than Anna or MSU and the Meader Hardy Kiwi do not all ripen all at the same time.
Many stores tend to mislabel plants, and many people claim that Meader is either Male or Female.
My vine is definitely Self Fertile and also pollinates Anna.
My Anna and Meader hardy kiwi produce fruit with out a male.
My MSU hardy Kiwi only produces a few kiwi, 10 - 30 kiwi a year without a male.
The Meader Self Fertile produces about two weeks earlier than Anna or MSU and the Meader Hardy Kiwi do not all ripen all at the same time.
Frozen Hardy Kiwi taken out of my freeze de-thawing, ready to go into a smoothie.
They are very easy to freeze. No peeling needed.
They do get a little wrinkled after defrosting.
They are very easy to freeze. No peeling needed.
They do get a little wrinkled after defrosting.
MSU, Anna, and my Meader Self Fertile kiwi all pictured here with my dog and many figs I grow.
Meader Self Fertile Kiwi
Hardy Kiwi Vines often take 4 -7 years to start producing fruit.
Meader Self Fertile Kiwi - Self Fertile Hardy Kiwi - I am unsure of the true name of this hardy kiwi, I bought it as a Meader Self Fertile Hardy Kiwi. .But it not only pollinates itself, it also pollinates my Anna hardy kiwi. It is earlier than Anna and does not ripen all the fruit at the same time which helps to extend the season.
Many people say there are only a few self fertile hardy kiwi vines on the market, "Issai" and the newer variety "Prolific" and a Japanese variety called "Kokuwa" that tastes like lemon. Perhaps it is a red stemmed Issai, I have read there is also a green stemmed Issai. What ever my self pollinating name is it is still quite a big vine and more robust than 'Anna'. When I research Meader Self Fertile Kiwi often I find a Male and a Female. I originally had bought a male and several other varieties of Hardy kiwi, before I purchased the "Meader Self Fertile. My original male hardy kiwi died from over pruning. But my Self Fertile and Anna kiwi vine continue to produce well with out a male. My MSU variety only produces about 10 - 30 kiwi a year without a male. It is in more shade and may not be pollinated well by my Meader self fertile kiwi.
My Self Fertile Hardy Kiwi- ripens with greener skin, for a longer time period and earlier than 'Anna'. One side will get more red if they are in full sun. It tends to have prettier yellow leaves in the fall. Although late frost can harm the harvest of cold hardy kiwi. This early ripening variety "Meader Self Fertile" ripens most every year in Michigan therefore it is my favorite.
'Anna' aka 'Anananzaya' - Female Hardy Kiwi - With a few male flowers. Most flowers have false male anthers. This is the one they sell at special high end fruit markets. It has a darker redish skin, ripens later, and ripens all the fruit at once. Great for processing and selling. Not very good for enjoying the fruit as you walk the garden. This variety gets hit by frost way too often before the fruits are ripe. The season often is not long enough in Michigan for Anna. I often have to pick it early and see if it will ripen indoors. It is the smallest and least aggressive of my three varieties. I have notice a couple of male flowers on this female Anna plant, but they are rare.
'MSU' - Female Hardy Kiwi - Michigan State University developed vine has fruit is almost twice as long as other hardy kiwi varieties. 'MSU' leaves, vines and fruit are bigger and it is a more aggressive grower. It ripens with green skin but is not pollinated as well by my Self Fertile 'Meader'. I only get a few dozen MSU Hardy Kiwi each year. It may be because it is growing in the shade, or because it is not polinated well from the self fertile kiwi.
Male Hardy Kiwi - My original Male Hardy Kiwi died from over prunning. I was trying to keep it small since it doesn't produce fruit. I have recently obtained a new Male Hardy Kiwi cutting in a trade, but it is still very young and has not flowered yet. I don't think I really need the maie, since I already get too many hardy kiwi. But I am looking foward to getting more MSU hardy kiwi pollinated.
Many people say there are only a few self fertile hardy kiwi vines on the market, "Issai" and the newer variety "Prolific" and a Japanese variety called "Kokuwa" that tastes like lemon. Perhaps it is a red stemmed Issai, I have read there is also a green stemmed Issai. What ever my self pollinating name is it is still quite a big vine and more robust than 'Anna'. When I research Meader Self Fertile Kiwi often I find a Male and a Female. I originally had bought a male and several other varieties of Hardy kiwi, before I purchased the "Meader Self Fertile. My original male hardy kiwi died from over pruning. But my Self Fertile and Anna kiwi vine continue to produce well with out a male. My MSU variety only produces about 10 - 30 kiwi a year without a male. It is in more shade and may not be pollinated well by my Meader self fertile kiwi.
My Self Fertile Hardy Kiwi- ripens with greener skin, for a longer time period and earlier than 'Anna'. One side will get more red if they are in full sun. It tends to have prettier yellow leaves in the fall. Although late frost can harm the harvest of cold hardy kiwi. This early ripening variety "Meader Self Fertile" ripens most every year in Michigan therefore it is my favorite.
'Anna' aka 'Anananzaya' - Female Hardy Kiwi - With a few male flowers. Most flowers have false male anthers. This is the one they sell at special high end fruit markets. It has a darker redish skin, ripens later, and ripens all the fruit at once. Great for processing and selling. Not very good for enjoying the fruit as you walk the garden. This variety gets hit by frost way too often before the fruits are ripe. The season often is not long enough in Michigan for Anna. I often have to pick it early and see if it will ripen indoors. It is the smallest and least aggressive of my three varieties. I have notice a couple of male flowers on this female Anna plant, but they are rare.
'MSU' - Female Hardy Kiwi - Michigan State University developed vine has fruit is almost twice as long as other hardy kiwi varieties. 'MSU' leaves, vines and fruit are bigger and it is a more aggressive grower. It ripens with green skin but is not pollinated as well by my Self Fertile 'Meader'. I only get a few dozen MSU Hardy Kiwi each year. It may be because it is growing in the shade, or because it is not polinated well from the self fertile kiwi.
Male Hardy Kiwi - My original Male Hardy Kiwi died from over prunning. I was trying to keep it small since it doesn't produce fruit. I have recently obtained a new Male Hardy Kiwi cutting in a trade, but it is still very young and has not flowered yet. I don't think I really need the maie, since I already get too many hardy kiwi. But I am looking foward to getting more MSU hardy kiwi pollinated.
Meader self fertile kiwi vines after a light frost.
These Meader hardy kiwi ripen earlier making them ripen almost every year in Michigan and they produce over a longer time extending the season for a home grower. In 2022 my Meader self pollinating kiwi produced three crops of kiwi in the fall. The first two crops did not taste great. The last crop when the weather was colder was the by far the sweetest and best crop. Cool weather and a light frost make the kiwi taste so much sweeter!
Spring Frost
My kiwi vines normally get hit by a Spring frost almost every year here in Michigan. Most the time it burns the leaves and the leaves turn black and die. The vines will produce new leaves and normally send out blooms. I have experienced a year where all of my kiwi did not produce any fruit. I can't remember if if was from the Spring frost or the season was too short for any kiwi to ripen. I know often the Anna and the MSU varieties both struggle to ripen kiwi in time here in Michigan, Meader ripens its fruit almost every year.
My kiwi vines normally get hit by a Spring frost almost every year here in Michigan. Most the time it burns the leaves and the leaves turn black and die. The vines will produce new leaves and normally send out blooms. I have experienced a year where all of my kiwi did not produce any fruit. I can't remember if if was from the Spring frost or the season was too short for any kiwi to ripen. I know often the Anna and the MSU varieties both struggle to ripen kiwi in time here in Michigan, Meader ripens its fruit almost every year.
Spring frost hit this young hardy kiwi on April 26, 2024. Photo taken 5/2/24
The first leaves turned black and died, but new leaves are out and looking good a week later. |
Spring frost hit this older 'Anna' hardy kiwi on April 26, 2024. on May 7th the photo was taken and you can see it has buds swelling at the top and dead leaves still on the branches from the frost.
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Most years Spring frost hits my hardy kiwi, yet they still flower and can produce fruit if the season is long enough.
The Meader self pollinating hardy kiwi is my best at producing fruit. It produces fruit almost every year.
Anna and MSU ripen less than 50% of the years for me.
In 2023 a late hard frost hit my hardy kiwi on May 18th.
We still had a bumper crop of hardy kiwi in the Fall of 2023.
All my varieties produced ripe fruit in 2023, the first frost was the night of October 23, 2023.
The Meader self pollinating hardy kiwi is my best at producing fruit. It produces fruit almost every year.
Anna and MSU ripen less than 50% of the years for me.
In 2023 a late hard frost hit my hardy kiwi on May 18th.
We still had a bumper crop of hardy kiwi in the Fall of 2023.
All my varieties produced ripe fruit in 2023, the first frost was the night of October 23, 2023.