Can you grow kiwi from seeds?

[Desirai]

Hi.
I like to grow anything and everything. I work at a grocery store so I am able to get seeds out of tons of things.
Right now I have 3 cantaloupes, 2 pixie cantaloupes, 2 canary melons, 1 avocado, 4 apple trees (Cameo and Pink Lady), 1 peach tree, 2 tomato plants, 1 jalapeno, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, some bing cherry and some apricots. All on my front porch.

I live in zone 7-8.

Is it possible that I could get some kiwi seeds to germinate?

No idea what variety, they are brown and fuzzy. So just a 'common' kiwi I guess.

I have read that you have to have male and female plants. How do you know what gender your plant is?

I've googled this and most people say to get cuttings, but that defeats the entire purpose. I get enormous satisfaction out of growing things from seed.

Whether or not they fruit is of no concern. Having them grow and flourish and beautify my house and yard is the purpose. (:

Thanks

[JONA878]

Hi Desirai
It's perfectly possable to get Kiwi seeds to grow.
they are tough very slow to germinate and as a result you can get high losses through rotting etc.
The reason most are done through cuttings is so that the variety grows true. Seed must by definition, be a cross polination.

As to male / female. You have to know the variety you are growing...if it's by seed, then you only know mum....not dad.

There are self fertile vars around now so the need for a male can be redundant....and we all know how that feels..eh fellows ?

As too growth.
They are exceedingly prolific. Almost as bad as a Russion Vine.
15ft and more a year. So be prepared for heavy pruning to maintain control.
The flowers are lovely and usually plenty of them.

Good luck.

[!potatoes!]

i have some hardy kiwi (different species, but not different enough to make much difference, i bet) that i started from seed a couple years ago - planted maybe 20 seeds, had only two survive the danger-of-damping-off period.

chances are you're not going to get a self-fertile variety using luck-of-the-draw grocery-store kiwi, so if you hope for fruit someday, you should probably have at least 3 to a get a decent chance of having one of each sex...

[DoubleDogFarm]

Right now I have 3 cantaloupes, 2 pixie cantaloupes, 2 canary melons, 1 avocado, 4 apple trees (Cameo and Pink Lady), 1 peach tree, 2 tomato plants, 1 jalapeno, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, some bing cherry and some apricots. All on my front porch.

You have more faith and energy than I. What do you think your odds of any breeding true? One day you may have fruit, but what?

Don't let me discourage you, just don't be disappointed.

I'll move on.
Eric

[Desirai]

Right now I have 3 cantaloupes, 2 pixie cantaloupes, 2 canary melons, 1 avocado, 4 apple trees (Cameo and Pink Lady), 1 peach tree, 2 tomato plants, 1 jalapeno, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, some bing cherry and some apricots. All on my front porch.

You have more faith and energy than I. What do you think your odds of any breeding true? One day you may have fruit, but what?

Don't let me discourage you, just don't be disappointed.

I'll move on.
Eric

I am not too concerned with what it produces. My cantaloupes have some nice babies growing on them, but as to if they are edible I have no idea.
I just have sheer joy in growing and raising things, whether it be plants/seeds, bugs, pets, ant farms, fish, whatever. It makes me feel..... motherly. And proud. And devastated when it fails.

And besides, a lot of these plants are beautiful just by themselves without fruits. My avocado is gorgeous if I do say so myself. Thick, dark green leaves. Makes an attractive houseplant

[NorthCoastGardener]

I inherited two common kiwi vines when we moved to the coast, they are beautiful when leafed out and in bloom. The vines are huge, have a sturdy, heavy structure, ours is a huge metal structure holding the vines. There is heavy pruning of branches needed every year or the vines can get out of control. Definitely takes some upkeep in maintaining the kiwi vines but they are beautiful.