Ali:

I don't know the answers to your questions as my fuzzy kiwi, 4th leaf, haven't fruited yet. I do know that they are sometimes harvested and stored in the fridge for months before ripening. You might try that if they aren't ripening properly now.

Thanks for posting and I hope someone else will answer your questions.

Kiwi vines are generally grown from cuttings (i.e. on their own roots), so a pruned piece that rooted is no different than what you'd buy.

As to harvest time, if they're not ripe (i.e. if they don't taste good yet) when your first hard freeze is coming in the fall, I'd harvest them all then, store them in the fridge, and pull them out over the next few months to ripen. This last winter I enjoyed (fuzzy) kiwis through til about four to four and a half months after harvest