While many people think of kiwis as tropical plants, hardy kiwis make a great addition to many temperate gardens. Join plant expert Briana Yablonski as she shares how to plant, care for, and harvest for this unique vining plant. The first time I tried a hardy kiwi fruit, my world turned upside down. I was browsing a booth at a Washington DC farmers market when I spotted a quart box filled with small red and green fruits. They certainly weren’t apples, and although they slightly resembled grapes, they had thicker and less shiny skin. That’s when I saw the sign proclaiming, “hardy kiwi fruits, no need to peel.” I quickly bought a box and popped one of the kiwis into my mouth. The juicy fruit exploded with a flavor that was sweeter and more intense than the typical kiwi. Why hadn’t I seen or tried this fruit before? Since then, I’ve learned that the fruit’s poor shelf life limits its commercial sales. However, these plants are great fruiting vines to add to your garden if you live in growing zones 3 through 8. By planting and caring for a hardy kiwi vine, you can enjoy delicious kiwi berries for years to come. What is Hardy Kiwi? You’re probably familiar with the fuzzy kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) found in grocery stores nationwide. While the hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta) tastes a lot like this common fruit, it is smaller in size and lacks the namesake brown, fuzzy fibers. Instead, its smooth green or red fruits are about the size of a large grape, which makes them the perfect bite-sized snack. Due to the hardy kiwi’s short shelf life, it’s difficult to find these fruits in the United States. You may be able to snag a pint or quart of the kiwiberries at farmers’ markets, but the best way to enjoy these sweet and juicy fruits is to grow a plant at home. The perennial plants are woody twisting vines that grow between 10-20 feet each year. The plants begin bearing fruits in their third to fifth year and can continue producing kiwis over the next 20+ years. Characteristics The hardy kiwi, otherwise known as the kiwiberry, grape berry, or arctic berry, is a long-lived perennial vine that thrives in temperate environments. Since the plants are deciduous, they lose their leaves in the fall and regrow new foliage in the spring. Most vines grow anywhere from 10-20 feet each year and thrive on arbors and types of trellises. However, they can quickly develop into unruly plants if you forgo pruning and trellising. The plants produce flowers on new shoots in the spring. Most varieties are dioecious, which means male and female flowers occur on different plants. Only the female flowers can produce fruit, but each flower needs to be pollinated with pollen from a male flower. The clusters of kiwis ripen sometime in late summer or early fall, and a single, healthy plant can produce up to 100 pounds of fruit. Native Area The hardy kiwi originated in East Asia, in areas including Japan, Korea, northern China, and northeast Russia. While the plants can tolerate cold temperatures, they need to grow in a location with at least 200 frost-free days to produce fruit. Planting The best way to plant hardy kiwi is to transplant small seedlings after the last spring frost. Since most varieties produce male and female flowers on separate plants, make sure to plant at least one male plant for every eight female plants. Reputable plant nurseries will label male and female plants, making it easy to purchase the plants you need. The vines are susceptible to wind damage, so plant them in a slightly sheltered location. Make sure the location receives at least eight hours of daily light and has good drainage. Space individual plants ten feet apart and provide them with a supporting trellis. Once the plants begin to grow, select one to two shoots to train as stems. Loosely tie these shoots to a stake to prevent them from twisting and encourage them to grow straight up.

If you dream of growing a pomegranate but live in a cold climate, you can still grow these juicy fruits at home. All you have to do is plant them in a container! Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to successfully grow pomegranates in pots. Have you ever thought of growing a pomegranate at home? While these unique, aril-filled fruits may seem impossible to produce at home, they’re actually quite easy to grow. However, gardeners in cold climates often remove pomegranates from their plant wish list when they realize they can’t survive cold temperatures. However, before you assume below-zero temperatures mean you can’t grow these plants at home, note that you can grow them in containers! Planting the trees in pots allows you to move them indoors during the winter to protect them from cold. Plus, containers make moving your pomegranate from one home to the next easy. Much of the care for potted plants is similar to in-ground pomegranates. However, you also need to be aware of factors like the ideal container size and potting soil, as well as differences in water requirements. Following these steps will help you grow a healthy pomegranate tree in a container. Select a Large Container Although pomegranate trees can happily grow in pots, they won’t grow well in small containers. The plants may survive for a year or two, but they’ll experience stunted growth and a lack of flowers. Therefore, it’s important to select a pot that gives the roots room to expand and flourish. While you may be tempted to choose a smaller container and repot your plant as it grows, it’s better to start with a big container. Repotting is an inherently stressful process, so it’s best to avoid it if you can. Plus, why purchase three different sizes of pots when you can get away with buying just one? Look for a container that’s at least 10 gallons. The container material isn’t too important, and plastic, terra cotta, and glazed ceramic can all work well. However, before you select a container, make sure the bottom contains drainage holes. If you live in hardiness zone 7 and below, you should plan on moving your pomegranate to a protected area during the winter. However, this is often easier than it sounds! When you start with a 50-pound ceramic container and fill it with potting mix, your potted pomegranate can easily weigh over a hundred pounds! Choosing a lighter container or placing the pot on wheels can make moving your plant more manageable. Fill With a Well-Draining Potting Mix After you’ve found a suitable container, it’s time to fill it with soil. You shouldn’t use native soil since this can lead to issues with drainage. However, you should also stay away from seed-starting mixes and those designed for vegetative houseplants. Instead, look for a specially formulated potting mix designed for trees and shrubs. These mixes are similar to those that work well for raised beds. Good mixes often contain nutrient-rich compost, peat moss or coco coir, and drainage materials like perlite, sand, or pine bark fines. Once you have a suitable mix, I recommend pouring it out into a large container and thoroughly mixing it with a shovel or your hands. Store-bought mixes often contain large clumps of peat moss or compost, and a good stir ensures a homogeneous mixture. Slowly add water as you mix until it is slightly moist but not damp. Add Your Plant to the Container Fill your container about two-thirds of the way with the potting mix. Remove your pomegranate tree from its current container and gently shake off any loose soil from the plant’s roots. You should also inspect the roots and remove any rotten or discolored portions. Place the plant in the new container so the top of the plant’s root ball is even with the soil line. Avoid burying it too deep since this can lead to problems with rot and growth. Once the plant is in the right place, add more fresh potting soil to fill in the remaining empty spaces. Gently compact the soil with your hands to remove any air pockets. Finally, slowly add water until it is moist. If the soil lowers after you add water, add more to ensure there’s an even layer in the container. Place in a Suitable Location After your pomegranate tree is tucked into its container, it’s time to place it in a location where it receives the proper amount of light. These plants require at least six hours of daily light, but they prefer much more. If they don’t receive enough light, they may become weak and stunted and/or fail to produce flowers and fruit. If your plant is outdoors, choose an open area with full sun. Alternatively, you can place the container on the south-facing side of a building, hedge, or fence. Indoor plants should also receive at least six hours of light, so choose a bright area. Typically, the area next to a south-facing window works well. However, you can also place the potted plant in a sunroom or other room with lots of windows. If you don’t have a bright enough area, use a grow light to provide supplemental lighting. Water Regularly You may have heard that pomegranates trees are drought-tolerant, and while this is true, they can’t survive long periods in a container without water. The best way to keep these plants happy is to allow the soil to dry out slightly, but not all the way, between waterings. When irrigating, it’s important to remember the difference in water needs between potted and in-ground plants. Since the sides of the container are exposed to the air, the soil heats up quicker, and water evaporates faster. Therefore, you’ll need to water your potted plants more often than those growing in the ground. The frequency you need to water your plants depends on factors including sun exposure, temperature, soil type, and container material. However, a good starting point is to water your potted pomegranate one to two times per week. Checking the soil with your fingers is a good way to determine whether or not you should water your plant more often. When the top three to four inches of soil is dry, you should water again. When you irrigate, water slowly to thoroughly soak all of the soil. You can water by hand with a hose or watering can, or you can set up drippers on a timer. Try to keep the foliage dry to prevent fungal diseases. Fertilize Regularly But Sparingly Pomegranate trees aren’t heavy feeders, so you don’t have to supply them with a large dose of fertilizer to keep them happy in a container. However, if you skip fertilizing entirely, the plants will begin to show signs of nutrient deficiencies. This is especially true with potted plants. If you use a nutrient-rich potting mix, you shouldn’t have to fertilize your plant in the first year. However, plan to start adding a balanced fertilizer in year two. An appropriate fertilizer will have an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, so look for a product with an NPK ratio like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Add the fertilizer to your plant once per year in the late spring or early summer. Most organic fertilizers slowly release their nutrients over time, so a single annual application is enough to keep your plant happy. Avoid applying too much fertilizer since excess nutrients can be just as big of an issue as too few nutrients. Keep An Eye on the Temperature Pomegranate plants are more cold-hardy than many people think, but they still can’t tolerate extreme cold. Most pomegranate varieties grow best in zones 8-11 and will become damaged if exposed to temperatures below 10°F (-12°C). Therefore, you should aim to move your plant to a protected area once the temperature begins to drop below freezing. Fortunately, most pomegranates don’t require many chilling hours to produce fruit. That means you can bring the plants indoors during the fall without worrying about a lack of cold interfering with their fruit production. If you bring your plants indoors, you can place them in either a cool area like a covered porch or garage or a warm area like your living room. However, unless you’re dealing with a snap freeze, you should avoid moving them from a cold area immediately to a warm area. Instead, let them slowly acclimate to their new home by gradually increasing the time they spend in a warm place. When the danger of frost has disappeared in the spring, you can move the plants back outdoors. Aim to move them outdoors for a few hours one day, then a few more hours the next day. This slow introduction will help the plants adapt to the cooler air and brighter light.

Lychee trees are a wonderful tropical addition to gardens in warm climates. Their sweet fruits are the perfect summer treat and the lush green leaves add ornamental value for the rest of the year. Gardening expert Madison Moulton explains everything you need to know to grow and care for lychees in this guide. I have a long list of fruit and nut trees in my garden. Macadamias, avocados, bananas, mangoes—I could go on. But one of my favorite trees (and certainly the favorite of anyone who visits my garden) is the lychee. Where I’m from, lychees (or litchis) are a summer staple. There’s nothing better than grabbing a bowl of them and peeling the red skin to reveal the tasty fruit underneath. And since they can be quite pricey, growing my own has saved me a lot of money over the years. As tropical fruits, lychees are largely reserved for gardeners in zones 10 to 11 (or 9 at a push). As they can be quite particular about their environment, it’s best to stick to their requirements as best as you can if you want masses of fruits. In the right location, lychees aren’t too difficult to care for. Follow the tips in this guide, and you’ll have a tropical fruit paradise in no time (or, more accurately, in three to five years). What Are Lychee Trees? Lychees are delicious tropical fruits from the tree Litchi chinensis. Although they aren’t as widely grown as some other tropical fruits (mangoes come to mind), their unique flavor makes them worth growing. They also aren’t the most common fruit to find fresh in stores, so if you love lychees, it’s easier (and far more budget-friendly) to grow your own. Lychee trees produce small, round fruits with rough red skin. Once you peel the skin back, you’ll find the delicious white or translucent flesh surrounded by a large seed in the center. The flavor is hard to describe, but it’s a kind of combination of sweet and floral, the perfect treat for summer. The fruits are only around for a short period, so what is there to enjoy for the rest of the year? Lychees have a lush and evergreen canopy with a tropical look that adds impressive ornamental value. The flowers may not look like much, but the glossy green leaves are a feature on their own. There are a few varieties to choose from, but ‘Mauritius’ and ‘Brewster’ are the most common. Characteristics Lychee trees can reach impressive heights of 40 feet or more in the right conditions. Thankfully, they respond well to pruning if you’re short on space or want to keep the tree at a more manageable size. You only need one to produce fruit too, so you don’t have to worry about finding space for two large trees. These trees, like many other fruit trees, unfortunately, do take their time to produce fruit. If you purchase one from a nursery, you’ll be waiting around 3 to 5 years for your first fruits. Starting from seed may require a decade (or more) of patience. In late spring, lychee trees produce clusters of greenish-white flowers that attract masses of pollinators like bees. In spring, my lychee tree is the most popular plant in my garden for bees, drawing so many that you can hear their buzz from inside the house. They are considered self-fertile—I only have one tree and enjoy more fruit than I know what to do with each year. But having more than one can potentially boost the fruit set and quality. Native Area These tropical fruit trees are native to southern China. They’re happiest in warm, humid climates with mild, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. They don’t perform well in coastal areas close to sea level. Lychees thrive in USDA zones 10 and 11, but those in zone 9 can still grow them paying a little more attention to cold snaps. If you live in an area where frost is common, consider planting in containers so you can move your tree indoors or to a sheltered spot like a greenhouse when temperatures drop. Planting Early spring is typically the best time to plant lychee trees. In warmer regions with mild winters, you can get away with planting a bit earlier to help them establish faster, but it’s always a good idea to keep a close eye on the forecast. You won’t be getting fruit in the first year anyway, so focus on a strong start instead. Find a location with at least six hours of sunlight daily. The soil should be well-draining, so avoid low-lying spots where water tends to pool. If your soil is heavy, work in plenty of organic matter before planting to improve drainage. If you’re planting from a nursery-grown tree, dig a hole that’s a little larger than the current bag or container. Gently remove the tree and place it in the hole so that it sits at the same level as in the container. Fill in the gaps with soil, firm it down gently, and water thoroughly to help the roots settle in. A layer of organic mulch around the base will also help keep moisture in (just don’t let it sit directly against the trunk). Starting from seed takes a little extra effort and a lot more patience. You also won’t get the same type of tree you planted from, so it’s fun for experimentation, but not reliability. Plant your seeds as soon as possible after removing them from the fruit. Soak overnight and sow the seeds about an inch deep in a well-draining soil mix and keep the soil moist. Apply consistent warmth and plenty of bright light. You’ll hopefully see a sprout in a few weeks. But if a quicker harvest and reliability is your goal, I recommend choosing a nursery-grown tree instead.