The Fantasy White grows very fast and produces lots of large, heavy fruits. The Charapita x Habanada produces tons of small fruits and has the distinctive aroma of Charapita mixed with Habanero notes. I can’t wait to taste it!
I know hardy kiwis are generally considered unsuitable for my climate, especially when grown in containers, so this is very much an experiment rather than proven advice.
I live in Zone 3, and I’m currently developing a method for growing hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta) varieties that are normally rated for Zones 5–6.
Hardy kiwis are extremely vigorous plants, both in their root systems and their vines, which can grow up to 10 metres in a single year. Although mature Actinidia arguta vines are often described as very cold-hardy, their flower buds can be damaged at around −10°C or below.
At the nursery where I work, hardy kiwis have been growing outdoors for about ten years. Every winter, only the branches buried under the snow and close to the ground survive; the exposed branches die back. Where I live, winter temperatures can sometimes reach −40°C.
They also need a warm growing season. Ideally, they need nighttime temperatures of at least 10°C and daytime temperatures of at least 20°C from May through September. Otherwise, the entire crop may be lost, or the fruit may never finish ripening and remain hard and unpleasant.
Because of this, I decided to grow them in containers so I can move them and protect them from the harshness of my climate. I cut 45-gallon barrels in half to make containers holding about 20 to 22 gallons, and I cut rings from another barrel to use as supports for training the vines.
Kiwi roots usually stay close to the surface and would normally prefer a wider container, but a barrel cut in half is easier to move and easier to lay on its side for winter protection.
I chose to train the vines on only three tiers to limit their growth, similar to the way grapevines are trained in vineyards. Since root space is limited in a container, I do not think the plants would be able to support a much larger fruit load.
If temperatures drop too low during the growing season, I can cover them much more easily. If we get a late spring frost or an early fall frost, I can move the pots into the garage using a hand truck and a strap.
To overwinter the vines, I plan to lay the containers on their sides, bury them under a thick, compact layer of dead leaves, and cover them just before the snow arrives.
I’m hoping to produce between 200 and 600 kiwis per container. We’ll see how it turns out next year. I’ll probably post an update.
This is my first year getting a large harvest from all these cultivars. Hinnomäki Yellow and Captivator are both good, sweet, and mild. Hinnomäki Red has a much stronger flavor, stays fairly tart even when fully ripe, and produces slightly larger berries.
Pixwell is the North American king of gooseberries—always delicious, with a subtle floral note. Jahn’s Prairie is my biggest surprise: the berries are very large, fruity, sweet, crisp, and absolutely delicious. I’m planning to dehydrate some and coat them in chocolate.
The rest will be eaten fresh or turned into syrup and coulis.
I’m looking for a pepper cultivar with a flavor profile and especially a burn profile similar to Tabasco or Thai peppers, but it needs to ripen orange, yellow, or white and be as large as possible.
I make and sell hot sauces, and Tabasco and Thai peppers take way too long to harvest and don’t produce enough usable volume. I was considering Yellow Cayenne or Golden Cayenne, but I’d love to know if anyone has a better recommendation?
In the photo, those are White Thai peppers that ripen to a reddish-orange color. They’re delicious in hot sauce, but they take forever to harvest
J'ai fait découvrir adp a ma mère et ma cousine ce soir et ma mère était thématique.