North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["ethan roland" <eroland@gmail.com>]

Jim -

Thanks for the invitation to clarify - I should be more careful throwing figures around.

I haven't met anyone else actually growing Actinidia kolomikta in Zone 3, but several catalogs list it as such, and Lee Reich (Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden) mentions that it grows in Siberia. However, he also mentions that mature A. kolomikta can produce 20+ lbs of fruit per vine - which sounds closer to your figures.

The 200lb per vine figure is for Actinidia arguta (Hardy kiwi), and is also from Lee Reich's book -- I don't have the page number right now, it's in the 'Harvest' section. Steve Bryer of Tripplebrook Farm (
www.tripplebrookfarm.com) has also told me stories about A. arguta producing 150+ lbs per vine.

Hope this clears things up! The super-hardy kiwis in my forest garden (I've planted A. kolomikta 'Red Beauty' and 'Pautske', both from Tripplebrook Farm) are too young -- I'm looking forward to ANY yield!

Cheers,
Ethan

------------------------------


Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 08:40:56 -0600
From: "Jim Fruth" <jfruth@uslink.net>
Subject: [NAFEX] Actinidia kolomitka
To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org >
Message-ID: <006001c731a0$ae33b0a0$7079de42@ibma20plaptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
        reply-type=original

Ethan,
    Have you been reading the posts?  I AM in zone 3 and only recently said
that I grow Actinidia kolomitka.  I don't know where you got the 200 pounds
of fruit claim.  My 3 female plants are growing under ideal conditions with
proper fertilizer, ample water and, together, barely produce 20 lbs.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
www.bberryfarm.com
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]


Actinidia kolomitka, or 'super-hardy kiwi' it is sometimes called, should be
hardy to at least Zone 4, some sources say Zone 3. (Ref = Edible Forest
Gardens vol 2)

So Bill, it should definitely set fruit and ripen in your area.

The hardy kiwis are extremely vigorous - plant them where you've got space.
A single mature hardy kiwi vine can produce up to 200 lbs of fruit per year!
And the fruit is uncommonly delicious.

Cheers,
Ethan

-- 
Ethan C. Roland
(518) 610-1375

AppleSeed Permaculture
Design - Teach - Advise
www.appleseedpermaculture.com

Northeastern Permaculture Wiki
www.northeasternpermaculture.wikispaces.com

8th International Permaculture Conference, Brazil, 2007
www.ipc8.org

" You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can't count the number of apples in a seed" - proverb via Paul Krafel