I grow both the fuzzy kiwi's and the smooth hardy kiwi. I can't afford to build the normal sort of trellis that real kiwi farmers build so I just use standard "t" posts pounded into the ground every 6 feet with two metal wires (one at top and one a little less than half way down).

In a normal year each vine can grow well over 15 feet in any direction. Once things get really warm they grow fast enough for you to see the difference every day when you check on them. If you keep them pruned back you can keep them on small trellis'. If you don't like to prune you'll have to build a super heavy duty trellis because they can weigh enough to pull a t-post over. One vine can have 150 pounds of fruit on it in the fall.

Thanks John. Right now i can not afford to build a heavy duty one either.I got them because i just liked the looks of the leaves. I also like the fruit, but what do you do with that much fruit?

Since I recently moved, all my vines are new and just now getting to the age where they will bloom and set fruit. Usually the raccoons and squirrels eat ALL of it. You have to build wire cages over it to get a taste. The fuzzy kiwi want to ripen in November in this zone which is late enough to be damaged by early frosts. You can harvest all that are full size and store them in the fridge and take them out to sweeten up by just setting them on the kitchen counter for a week. Still - each vine can produce a huge amount of fruit. The commercial guys hand pollinate (kiwi are wind pollinated, so bees don't really matter) to get the 150 lbs per vine number; a home garden can expect half of that.

Don't you need male and female plants?

There are types where you don't but the ones I grow do. In my fuzzy's - the original male died and has been replaced with a teeny tiny guy (very cheap!). This is my second try since the months without rain and very temps of the last two summers didn't do me any favors. I have two types of hardy kiwi and an old hardy male that has weathered all the bad weather with only minor problems but the much younger girls have grown enough to start blooming this year and still he sits there without a single blossom. He better get his act together in the next couple of years he'll be replaced. Space is limited, I run a tight ship, it's a bloom/fruit or die world. I can always use the compost.

john, do you need some blooming stalks for a hardy? My male is blooming right now... come & get some. I hand pollinated mine the first couple years but quit and get a good harvest without. i wonder about the whole bees don't pollinate it, since i get just as good fruit set on the far side of the tree that i have my female vine in as the side closer to the male. They have a honey scent- i'd think it would be a good bee pollinated plant.