Question of the Week – Kiwi

What kind of fruit is this?

 These little fuzzy fruit are kiwis of the genus Actinidia, and were found growing on a hobby farm on Johns Island, SC. Kiwi hails from the grasslands of China and Russia.  We normally think about kiwi being an Australian or New Zealand crop, as most of the production occurs there, though it is not their native range. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that kiwi was discovered and became a prized fruit. Read up on the history of kiwi here.  In the mid 1980’s SC farmers were struggling, and the kiwi became the fruit that was all the rage. Several farmers and companies began investing in commercial kiwi farms along the coast of SC. Read Hanna Raskin’s article about the industry here. Remnants of those operations still exist today. Due to several factors, such as poor infrastructure and a few cold winters, the end came to the commercial kiwi industry in SC. Today there are several kiwi vines still growing in SC and they actually produce fruit in most years. There are several varieties that are extremely cold hardy. Perhaps we could get the kiwi industry going again in SC?

This week’s question is from Zack Snipes, Coastal Horticulture Extension Agent.