This year:
Issai- 3 quarts. The below pic is 2 quarts I picked last Friday, after I picked a quart the previous week. A few were starting to soften on the vine, which seems to be the signal to pick them all. Brix: most were in the 21-23 range, but I did find a 26.

Geneva- 2/3 of a pint. They have a redish-brown tint when ripe and have a nice sweet-tart flavor. They seem to have less "green" flavor when not so ripe, compared to Issai. But, when both are fully ripe, Issai has a richer flavor. Brix: 18-21

Fortniner (74/49)- Just a handful. These are the most mild flavored. My mom was sure that these were the sweetest, even though they had the lowest brix of the three that she sampled. Brix: 18

Ken's Red- A few flowers this spring, but I haven't spotted any fruit. I'll keep an eye on it as the leaves fall.

I wonder if some of the negative comments on hardy kiwi are not because they were eaten before they are fully ripe. If you leave them on the vine until a few turn soft (and the rest are close), they are pretty tasty. Even picked then, any which are not yet wrinkly should be held until they wrinkle. Then they will be sweet and tasty. Eaten before that and they are sour and/or have the "green bean" flavor Scott has mentioned.

I gave out some samples at work and people were very hesitant to try them. Once they did though, there was usually a shocked "wow- these are good?!? What are they again?"

Getting it just right takes some work, with me going through the box each day to see which ones are now ready. In the future, with larger yields, I'm thinking about only eating the largest fruits. Then, I can make jelly/jam (maybe with Prime Jan blackberries?) out of the smaller ones and not need to worry about perfectly ripening all the tiny fruit.

I also got a couple kiwi from my male vine, so I'm not sure that there was any pollination this year. I'll have to inspect it more closely next year to see if there are any male flowers.

Pic: 2 quarts of Issai, picked on 10/17.

The only part which is high maintenance is chopping them back to not take over the entire area, a task not to be underestimated. I planted them a bit close to each other and other plants too close to them. I'm planning to move some gooseberry bushes which have been completely enveloped by the kiwi.

I fed some to my wife earlier tonight and she was horrified that I was thinking of making jam out of the small ones. She said they are too good to eat as is. I think her opinion could change if we start getting the same production out of the other vines. In addition to the above, I also have younger vines of Cordofolia, Chico, Rossana, and Jumbo.

Mine don't get much shade, other than a bit in the early morning. But full sun here is probably a lot less than full sun where you are. Maybe you could try an area with some afternoon shade and mulch them heavily.

You are lucky if you can find them in Costco- I haven't seen them there. They've only shown up a few times at Whole Foods, usually for $5-6 for a half pint (more than $0.60 per kiwi berry).

Here's a pic of the Issai on the vine (10/17).

I checked a random zip code in Kansas and it seems like a lot of your rain falls during the growing season (the graph forming a peak at summer, as opposed to our flat line). In the 6 months from Apr-Sep, the average was 25" (compared to ~27" for us), while the rest of the year only gets 11".

I water the kiwi only rarely. Maybe twice a summer when we hit a long dry spell. Even then, it is just 10 seconds each with the hose as I pass by. Everything is well mulched with wood chips though, so the moisture should be pretty constant.

-JD

Unfortunately for me, they do not do well in more arid climates. Both Arguta and Kolomikta vines have done horribly here in N. NM even in shade. They are probably the thirstiest fruiting plants I've ever tried to grow, and very susceptible to late frost damage… Milehighgirl, don't waste too much time with these!

In my climate I can grow the fuzzies and I prefer them, in particular the yellow fleshed ones. But Kens Red is as good as any fuzzy.

Scott

It's good to know your experience. Do you think soil might have something to do with it?

I wonder what the native climate is like for arguta. Anyone know?

Well I really appreciate all the feedback. I do want to give pawpaw another try so I will concentrate on them and forget about the kiwi.

JD, I'm definitely not an expert- just getting started with them. I was able to propagate some from cuttings last June (I've read dormant cuttings don't work well). Now, a year and a half later, they look about like what you would get from a nursery. Rather than starting from cuttings, I'd suggest getting some nursery plants- Rolling River Nursery is a great source. Later, let me know if you want some scionwood to graft some more varieties.

Scott, I've had lots of bad ones, but none were ripe enough. From the nursery descriptions, they were all supposed to ripen earlier than mid-October. Some of them I've been sampling 1-2 per week since the start of September. When did you pick yours? If you picked them earlier, even a wrinkled surface may not have been enough to make them taste good. You've got me looking forward to Ken's Red, though it is taking it's time.

How much different are the kiwi you grow from the ones in the store? I like the hardy kiwi a lot better than the store-bought fuzzies, even before considering that I don't need to peel them. But, if home-grown fuzzies are great, I should at least give them a try.

Here's a pic of what they look like when I eat them. I think the wrinkles is what made some people hesitant to try them...Most of these were 21-23 brix, with one at 24 and one of the smallest ones at 14 (not sure what happened with it). Note- none of these are the biggest- I've already finished most of them :)

Scott