Kiwi in Zone 8!

Kiwi's in the UK? Well, here's hoping for some vigorous growth and fruiting, at the very least, some wonderful learning and experimentation. I planted this new Kiwi plant (Actinidia deliciosa) out in July into a large, deep container of store bought compost, the plant grew really well and twirled its way up and beyond the stakes I'd placed for it. Being a hardy climber, it was clear I hadnt estimated the pot size and supporting structure correctly!

In this last few months she(?), he(?) quickly outgrew the first support structure, so it was time to move to a larger and more appropriate container with a sturdy, more permanent support. I built a planter and a trellis specifically for the job, and transplanted in mid September.

By next morning the neighbour cats had been in the planter scratching and snapped one of the vines clean off! Being ever resourceful, I cut that whole vine off and snipped it into shorter 6 inch pieces and put a couple directly into the raised bed,  another under a plastic container into a different planter, and yet another I let stand in a jar of water in the house.

First experiment so soon! I'll see if I get any success rooting any of these pieces, and if they do, which method works best.

Normally a male and a female plant are required to set fruit, I dont know yet which variety I have until its starts to flower. The ratio for producing a good crop is generally 1 male to four female, but my 'small holding' will only be supporting one of each. Once I discover which mine is, I'll get one of the opposite sex!

Kiwi is best grown in full sun and well drained soil, so far it seems pretty happy against the house, growing in a pot. I also planted a couple of strawberry plants in the planter as an under storey, and will see how these two get along.

This is the trellis I built, waiting to get fixed to the wall. I re-used old roofers slats taken down from a structure in the garden, painted it up to match the planter, and now need to affix it in place. Photos and instructions coming soon!

Online resources + information

Here's a great article on Kiwi growing and pruning.
Gorgeous Chocolate Kiwi popsicle recipe.

Growing Asparagus

Asparagus (asparagus officinalis) is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennial and part of the Lily family, similar to its Allium cousins, onions and garlic. Native to most of Europe, it benefits any garden by being one of the earliest vegetables to crop in the Spring!

When planning to grow asparagus, it pays to prepare the bed and the location well, as a poorly prepared asparagus bed will produce a scant harvest! When determining the ideal growing conditions, one only needs to observe nature. Asparagus grows wild and favours slightly salty (coastal) regions - which can difficult when trying to identify suitable companions - although both parsley and rosemary are thought to be good companions - not many plants like this kind of salty soil structure. As well as difficult suitors, these penickity vegetables also cultivate patience, as the vegetable has a three year pre-amble before the grower is able to harvest fully!

All this said, there's nothing quite like walking out to the garden and cutting fresh asparagus for breakfast!



I finally decided to get my asparagus started last year. Although my own back yard is not anything close to asparagus friendly, I started with both seeds and seedlings, sowing into large pots and containers, which I planned to transplant this season. Hence, sneaking a year forward in that 'three year' growing requirement for new asparagus patches.

The first year saw fairly strong, and rather cute asparagus spears grow and lots of feathery ferns. They were very tempting to harvest, but to promote healthy crowns, it is advisable to not harvest until the third year. So, they were allowed to dieback over the winter. And have appeared again this year, some fairing better than others, but all now in their second year and ready to transplant into a new garden.

Although asparagus is commonly believed to be difficult to plant and cultivate in a regular suburban kitchen garden, I thought that I would get the ball rolling and start planting this year. The spears (in the first picture above) are first year seedlings - it takes three years before full harvesting can take place. I've been wanting to grow my own ever since tasting the wild asparagus I discovered with a friend while wandering the hills of the Okanagan in British Columbia. Those skinny spears melted in our mouths when we ate them later at her place overlooking Okanagan Lake that evening.

If planning to grow asparagus, start by getting familiar with do's and dont's on the internet: Vegetable Gardening Online

Once ready to start your own, an excellent book that provides everything you need for growing is Grow the Best Asparagus (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin)


So, even though my current garden is a tiny asparagus unfriendly location, I'm glad I decided to start last year, as now I'm in my second year and will be harvesting like crazy next year!

Year two
The plants have taken well in their various containers and planting spaces, I've now moved house and have a bigger garden so I'm carefully transplanting to larger raised beds and into terraced growing spaces at the top of the garden. I've resisted the urge to 'harvest' this year, although some of those tender little shoots have beed especially difficult to ignore! Of the twenty or so plants I put in (a mix of seeds and seedlings) I have had approx 80 percent success rate this year - only a couple have not thrown out little asparagus spears. But, I have rescued the root crowns and planted out, so will wait to see if they make an appearance in year three!

Further reading + resources