When Are Kiwi Fruit Harvested?
- Hardy kiwifruits grow well in most climates as they can tolerate temperatures down to freezing when growing and as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit when dormant. Hardy kiwis ripen on the vine in fall between September and October. Check for ripeness by cutting open a fruit and checking that seeds have turned black, as black seeds indicate mature fruits. Since most of the kiwi on a vine ripen at the same time, a seed check indicates that the rest of the fruits are ready for harvest. Vine-ripened hardy kiwis also produce a red tint on the skin once they are ready for picking.
- Fuzzy kiwi requires a longer growing season than the hardy varieties. The fruits won't ripen on the vine in areas that experience frost in late fall, as the kiwis don't ripen until November at the earliest. The fuzzy kiwi is larger than the hardy varieties, but the color of the seed is still the best indication that the kiwi is ripe.
- No special tools are necessary for harvesting kiwifruit. Grasp the stem in one hand and the fruit in the other. Snap the stem off where it joins the fruit. You can harvest fruits earlier when they have reached full size but are still hard instead of soft. Early harvest is a necessity if a hard freeze is expected, as the fruits can only survive light frosts.
- Storage methods depend on the variety of kiwi and the ripeness of the fruit. Unripened hardy kiwi last for two months when stored in the refrigerator, while fuzzy kiwi store for up to six months. Ripened fruit must be used within three to five days as the quality of the fruit rapidly declines once the fruit softens. Ripen early-picked kiwis by placing them in a bag with a banana or apple for two to three days, or until the fruit feels soft. The ethylene gas produced by ripening bananas and apples help speed up the ripening of the kiwi.
