Going for Gold: What’s With the Gold Kiwis?

Q: I have seen gold kiwis and green kiwis at the store. I bought two gold kiwis and tasted them. They were much sweeter than the other kiwis. Where are they from and what’s the difference?

A: The gold kiwifruit, Actinidia chinensis, originated in New Zealand, growing from a batch of seed that had come from China. The seed was supposed to produce vines that bore green-fruited kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa, but one turned out yellow and was very sweet. After years of selective breeding the gold kiwi came to market first in other parts of the world and then America. Hundreds of acres were planted in New Zealand, but in 2010 a bacterial disease attacked that cultivar of gold-fruited kiwi. Scientists worked overtime to develop a new variety that was resistant to the disease. That’s the variety you bought in the store.

Sadly, neither the yellow nor green kiwifruit are easy to grow here because winter cold kills the male vines. Without any partners, the female vine blooms in vain.

That said, I have a friend in North Decatur who has the perfect situation for male and female kiwifruit vines. They are growing at the bottom of a low hill, surrounded by wind-blocking houses and trees. The vines yield bushels and bushels every year. If you want to try growing kiwi, don’t bother with the fuzzy kiwi you’re familiar with. Instead, investigate the hardy kiwi berry, Actinidia arguta. They taste the same as kiwifruit.

Cold=hardy kiwiberry