How to grow Hardy kiwi

Actinidia arguta · kiwiberry, kiwi berry, tara vine

Hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta) — hardy kiwi is a vigorous deciduous climbing vine that needs a strong trellis, pergola or fence; it can put on 6 m in a single season. Its grape-sized, smooth-skinned fruits taste like kiwi but sweeter and are eaten whole, skin and all. A dormant vine survives about −32 °C, yet young spring shoots and flower buds are damaged by even a brief frost of −1 °C. Most plants are either male or female, so plant one male for six to eight females, or choose the self-fertile 'Issai'. Arctic kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta) is grown the same way; it is even hardier (about −40 °C), less vigorous and has smaller fruit; its leaves are variegated pink and white, most strikingly on male plants.

Checked against sources: October 3, 2026

Quick facts

Type	Berry
Family	Actinidiaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5–6.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 4 °C
First harvest after planting	about 3 years
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 10 days	—	organic, at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 10 days	—	—
Fruiting	every 10 days	—	—
Harvest	every 10 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Fruits best in full sun and also grows in part shade. Choose a warm, sheltered spot out of frost pockets and cold winds, since the shoots start growing early in spring.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained, slightly acid soil rich in organic matter, pH about 5–6.5. Heavy, wet clay leads to root rot, the most common reason young vines die in their first year.

Care

Plant in spring, 4.5–5.5 m apart, and put up the support at planting time. Water in dry spells, as the vine needs about 2.5 cm of water every ten days, but never let the soil become waterlogged. Spread compost or rotted manure around the base each spring; skip mineral fertiliser in the planting year and use it sparingly later, as the roots burn easily. Prune in winter, well before growth starts, so the vine does not bleed sap; keep one-year-old canes and shorten them to about eight buds. In summer, just before flowering, cut flowering shoots back to four to six leaves past the last flower and remove tangled shoots. Cover young shoots with fleece if frost threatens after they sprout. Cats are drawn to the plant and claw it, so guard the trunk with wire mesh. Fruiting usually starts in the third to fifth year.

How to tell it is ripe

The fruits reach full size by midsummer but need the rest of the season to mature; picking is usually in late September.
Colour is no guide, as most varieties stay green; some take on a reddish blush in the sun.
Pick a few fruits and let them soften for a few days; once they taste sweet, harvest the rest.
A ripe fruit gives slightly when squeezed gently.
Pick firm fruit before the first hard frost and let it ripen indoors; in the fridge it keeps for five to six weeks and softens within days once taken out.

Pests and diseases of Hardy kiwi

Two-spotted spider mite

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.