Kiwi and Avocado Orchard

The area around the house was covered by amazing plants and gardens as well as the nearby orchards of kiwi and avocado. It really is fascinating how anything will grow here. People actually complain about how rich the grass is. I was able to go and visit the orchard with the owner who was nice enough to answer my million questions.

 

The kiwi orchard had been there for decades and I found the vines all full of kiwi very beautiful. The orchard grows both green and golden kiwi fruit on the vines and is experimenting with several different varieties.

These kiwi orchards were tucked down into tree windbreaks that shelter the kiwi from cold and also storms like Lusi.

 

The kiwi vines are grown up first as that is how they grow the quickest. Then they are laid down across the wires once they grow nice and high. It is not until the second year that the vine will actually have fruit. Male vines are planted at the end of the rows but only the female vines have fruit.

 

This area was a new variety that had been grafted into the original vines and was just getting started. The kiwi were actually picked right before I left and it was a really really good crop. Another thing I discovered was kiwi berries but this particular orchard didn't grow any of them. I am very curious to see if I will be able to find them in the States!

 

The owner also had a very small field of avocado trees. These trees have actually been through a really bad storm. They were hit at a time when the trees had been allowed to grow a little too big  and they were blown over. But they don't give up easily and even with some of the roots exposed. Avocados are still growing.

Avocados actually take two years to mature so there are two different crops on the tree at a time. However, for some reason, this particular season's crop was bad and they actually did not even pick the orchard. So most of the green avocados that you see in these pictures, won't be ripe until next summer. That crop oddly enough is looking to be very good.

 

I got to have both kiwi and avocado from the orchard while I was there which was pretty cool. I am a pretty big avocado fan so that was pretty amazing having avocados so close. I did look into what it takes to grow an avocado tree. Unfortunately I learned that it takes 8 years for a tree to produce avocados. So grafting would be the best way to get my own avocados quickly.