The new superfruit from Southeast Asia is reminiscent of a mini kiwi. We show what you have to consider when planting and caring for the kiwi berry.
When you hear "kiwi", you usually think of the egg-sized kiwi fruit with a furry, brown skin. However, very few people know that there are over 100 kiwi species (Actinidia). The commercial kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) is just one of these 100 species, but most of them are so-called kiwiberries (Actinidia arguta) and differ greatly from the traditional kiwi. Kiwiberries, for example, are much more frost-resistant than these. The extremely high-yielding, undemanding plants can therefore be grown in our gardens without any problems. In this article you will find out where the kiwi berries come from and what you need to consider when choosing a variety, planting and caring for the mini kiwi.
The kiwi berry, often referred to as the "little sister of the kiwi", has many names: it is also called grape kiwi, Chinese gooseberry, honey berry, kokuwa, kiwai or small-fruited kiwi. It is best known to us under the name “mini kiwi”. Both the kiwi and the kiwi berry belong to the rayfruit family (Actinidiaceae). However, kiwiberries are much smaller than kiwis and have a smooth, edible skin. Externally, the mini kiwi most closely resembles a gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa). However, the sweet and sour taste of wild fruit doesn't have much in common with gooseberries.
Mini kiwifruit: origin and characteristics
Kiwiberries come from East Asia. There they grow up the trees like lianas. Mini kiwis have also been grown commercially in southern Europe for a number of years, but are still rarely found in supermarkets. It is all the more appealing to grow the superfruit yourself in the garden. Kiwiberries are large, woody climbers that are green in summer. These looping climbers can grow up to 6 meters in height. From April, kiwiberries bloom with small, creamy white flowers in pseudo umbels. The fruits can finally be harvested in September and Octoberwill. The delicious vitamin bombs can take on a wide variety of shapes and colors: round to oblong, green, yellow-green, light or dark red. Almost all varieties of mini kiwi are dioecious, which means that each plant bears only male or female flowers. Only the female plants bear fruit. Both female and male specimens must be grown in the garden to ensure pollination of the flowers.
Tip: How can male and female plants be distinguished from each other? You can do this using the flowers. The flowers of the female plants are surrounded by a wreath of radially arranged styles. Male flowers, on the other hand, do not have this crown.
Mini kiwi varieties
Kiwiberry varieties are plentiful. For quick success, the varieties 'Julie', 'Issai' and 'Cinderella' are recommended, which are small and bear fruit from the first year after planting. For all other varieties, you have to wait until the third year to harvest the first fruits. We have put together for you below which varieties are also suitable for cultivation in your garden. Note: All these varieties are hardy.
Fruiting Mini Kiwi Varieties:
- 'Weiki': This variety is also called Bavarian kiwi and is probably the best-known of the berry kiwi varieties. 'Weiki' kiwiberries are high-yielding and robust
- 'Red Jumbo': As the name suggests, the flesh and skin of this variety are dark red to purple. The fruits are sweet and juicy. Harvest in late autumn
- 'Julie': This variety from Saxony is very productive. The taste of the small, dark green fruits is strong and aromatic
- 'Rote Potsdamer': This variety is very robust and, as the name suggests, comes from the garden of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. The fruits are green inside, the skin is light red
- 'Cinderella': The berries of this variety are light green, oval and have a high vitamin C content. Very productive
- 'Bojnice': The fruits of the 'Bojnice' kiwiberry look like small apples. They taste sweet and aromatic
Hermaphrodite Mini Kiwi Varieties:
- 'Issai': This variety bears small, green, oblong fruits. 'Issai' kiwiberries are self-pollinating
- 'Jassai': This kiwiberry variety has a very high vitamin CSalary. The plant is very vigorous, productive and the fruits are light green and sweet. Also, this strain is self-pollinating
Pollinating Mini Kiwi Varieties:
- 'Amandus': This variety is suitable as a pollinator for all mini kiwi varieties
- 'Milano': The male plants of this variety are also well suited as pollinators for all female mini kiwi plants
Buy mini kiwis: expert tips and sources of supply
When buying a kiwiberry plant, you should make sure that it is free from pests and diseases and looks he althy. The variety of the mini kiwi should also be decisive for the purchase: If it is not self-pollinating, such as 'Issai', then you should buy one male plant for every six female plants.
You might be lucky enough to find kiwiberry plants at your local garden center or hardware store. However, since kiwiberries are still relatively unknown here, it is advisable to order them from an online retailer. There you will find a large selection of different varieties. We have put together a selection of online retailers for mini kiwis for you here.
deaflora.de: The "Aromagärtnerei" has over 3,300 plants and seeds on offer. Including a very large selection of mini kiwis.
Kiwiri.de: The online shop specializing in kiwiberries. Here you can buy a wide variety of mini kiwis in organic quality.
olerum.de: Here, owner-managed garden centers have joined forces and run a joint online shop. Seeds and plants are available for purchase, including some varieties of kiwi berries, some in organic quality.
wildobstworm.de : The company from the Ore Mountains has dedicated itself to the sale of wild and berry trees. In the range you will find a very large selection of different mini kiwis.
Plant Mini Kiwi
Mini kiwis can be planted in spring as soon as there is no more frost. Choose a sunny to semi-shady location near the tree.
Proceed as follows to plant the kiwi berries:
- Loosen the soil well and work in the hummus
- Dig planting hole
- Put plant in
- Fill the planting hole with compost and excavation
- Water well
- Apply mulch layer
The planting distance for mini kiwis should be 2 meters. As typical climbing plants look forwardthe kiwiberries can also be used as a climbing aid in the form of a trellis or a pergola.
You can find detailed information on planting the mini kiwi here.
Caring for mini kiwis
Once the kiwi berries are planted, they are extremely easy to care for. However, you should not neglect watering, especially on hot summer days. From the second year, the mini kiwi is also happy about regular fertilizer application. For this we recommend an organic fertilizer such as compost, animal manure or our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect, which optimally and long-term supplies the mini kiwi with all the important nutrients. Regular pruning of the mini kiwi is necessary to ensure that the vigorous plant does not overgrow your garden and increase the yield.
We have compiled precise care tips for the kiwi berry for you here.
Harvesting and storing mini kiwifruit
In autumn, from September to the end of October, the mini kiwis are ripe and can be harvested. Whether the fruits are ripe is indicated by the fact that - depending on the variety - they become reddish or light green and soft. It is best not to harvest each fruit individually, but always the whole vine. That way, the skin doesn't break and the delicious fruit has a longer shelf life.
If the harvested kiwiberries are still too hard after harvesting, you can leave them to ripen at room temperature for two to three weeks. Ripe mini kiwis stay fresh in the fridge for up to three weeks. If you want to store the super fruits longer, you can freeze them without hesitation.
Using the Mini Kiwi
Due to their high vitamin C and E content, the delicious, fruity taste and the low calorie content, mini kiwis can rightly be called super fruits. They are best eaten fresh and with the skin on. You can also use the sweet fruits to bake cakes and tarts, boil them down to make jam and compote, or process them into juice. Fresh kiwiberries are also delicious with yoghurt or in muesli.
You can find more he althy types of fruit with lots of vitamin C in this overview.