Also known as Chinese gooseberry, kiwis or kiwifruits are sweet, tangy, oval fruit with a brown outside and a green or golden inside. They make great salads, smoothies, shakes, desserts, and ice-creams. The native to china fruit is also an excellent source of fiber, potassium, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants, and Vitamin C, K, & E, which works wonders to fight inflammation and boost the immunity system. Since they’re delicious and healthy, people who crave the fruit wonder when are kiwis in season.
When is Kiwi Season in the USA?
While the New Zealand kiwi hits the market from June through to October, the kiwi season in the USA is from the late fall through to early winter. So essentially, the fruit will ripen in November, December, January, and February. However, for some types of kiwi, such as the hardy kiwifruit that grow in colder climates, they are ready for picking as early as July.
Types of Kiwifruit
While there are over 50 kiwifruits, they are typically categorized into four major groups, including the fuzzy or hairy kiwi, the golden kiwifruit, arctic kiwi, and the hardy kiwifruit. Each type of kiwifruit is in season at different times. For instance:
- Dumbarton oaks– from early August to September
- Ananasnaya- from late August to September
- Meader- from mid to late September
- Hayward- from November to December
- Arctic beauty- from early to mid-August
- Blake- from late September to early October
Can Kiwi Season Be Prolonged?
Cold storage can extend the kiwi season to mid-spring. It can last up to four to six months at -5 to 0 degrees Celsius or 31 to 32 degrees F. Note that the colder the temperature, the longer you can keep the kiwi fruit. The fruit should also be kept in chilled condition and away from other ripe fruits that give off ethylene gas to prevent the kiwifruit from going bad.
For the fruit to last over six months, pick the fruit while they are hardy and store it immediately in a refrigerator in a vented plastic bag. When you want the fruit to ripen, remove it from the fridge and put it in a bag with a banana or apple at room temperature. After a few days, the fruit will be ripe and ready to eat once it’s soft to the touch. Eat immediately since soft kiwi won’t last very long.
Please Note: You’ll find the fruit in the market or grocery stores all year round, thanks to imported kiwi that’s grown in tropical zones.
How Long Does It Take to Grow Kiwi?
Kiwi has a long growing season of up to 240 days a year. Typically, kiwifruit starts to bud from February March to April. The flowering occurs between mid and late May; however, the exact timing depends on weather and location. Since male and female kiwifruit flowers grow on separate crops, pollination is done with the help of honeybees and wind.
Kiwi plants’ ideal growing conditions include lots of rain or watering and plenty of sunshine. It can grow in virtually any soil, but it’ll do best in highly fertile but slightly acidic soil. Furthermore, the fruit grows on vine-like berries and grapes. The vine may reach up to 33 feet in its length and require sturdy trellises to support these vines. Because of these conditions, the kiwi season depends on where the crop is grown. In the USA, California is one of the ideal locations for growing commercial kiwifruit.
Please Note: In tropical zones, kiwi can be grown virtually all year round since the subtropical fruit enjoys a warm climate. However, some types of kiwi have been bred to tolerate more cold conditions. The cold-tolerant kiwifruit can extend its range and season even further.
Does How Kiwifruit Ripen Affect Its Harvesting Season?
Kiwi ripens individually over time instead of all at once. For a home gardener, this enables you to pick the fruit at maximum ripeness, and hence you can prolong the harvesting period. For instance, the hardy kiwi grows in clusters, but the individual fruits will ripen at different times. Hence, you can pick individual fruits, although many people pick in clusters and allow the fruit to ripen at room temperature.
The Takeaway
Kiwifruits are very delicious, nutritious, and healthy fruits. To enjoy the fruit, keep an eye out from around July until the end of January as these are the months when kiwis are in season in the USA.