PlantFiles: Chinese Gooseberry, Kiwi Fruit, Yang Tao
Actinidia deliciosa

Here's another plant that didn't make it in our area. I'm not sure why exactly, but suspect our soil was too alkaline and dry, as the other Californian said.

I don't actualy grow this plant but a neighbor 1/8 mile down the road has 6 vines and they are HUGE! It fruits profusely producing at least 50 lbs a vine. The taste is something you can only dream of.

Exitedly mt_alder

Kiwifruit are delicious. Or Chinese Gooseberry is what we used to call them in New Zealand before the growers made the fruit more commercial.
Cut lengthways and scoop flesh out with spoon. Eat there and then or add to a fruit salad. Or leave fruit whole and peel away the fuzzy skin, slice into rounds and add to the top of a creamed sponge cake - wow, now that was a huge piece of New Zealand culture when I was growing up.
I can't imagine these plants will grow, let alone fruit in dry and drought conditions, maybe in pots if you keep the water up to them.

Here some people call it "chinese strawberry", and it was its commercial name before they started calling it Kiwi. It´s similar to a strawberry in taste (well... not entirely, but one can associate both tastes). The only weird thing is the fuzzy peel that has to be removed. I personaly like to cut the fruit in a half and eat the pulp with a spoom without peeling it. Also gives a good touch to fruit salads. Not my favorite fruit, but I give it a OK.

Our balance up to this moment is rather negative since we live in the desert-like area and are impatient. I was hoping to get fruit from my 3 females (& 1 male) Vincent vine but so far only got nice wild growth (new fuzzy pinkish shoots are very nice). I am also careful not to prune it in spring as that would produce a lot of sap drip.
I have fought several adversary conditions
a) time - literature says that one has to be patient for about 5 years b) water - kiwis need abundant water and that is a problem east fo San Diego - every year our plants suffer a drought shock (without giving us a proper timely warning). ALthough we water them often in a sudden heat wave or after a little bit of watering delay their leaves droop, dry at the ends and finally drop off. THis happened this year and we successfully revived the vines. c) snails - young plants when first planted were almost destroyed by snails (fat least cats whom literature warns against are not fascinated by our kiwis) d) soil is rather alkaline here and on top of that, COlorado river is also fairly salty - combination of these factors may also cause some of the dry tips problems which we used to assign to lack of humidity. So far, in the 3rd or 4ht year I saw one (1) whitish female bloom and that was it, 2 years later no more sighting.
Well, I will add acid to the soil, more water and hope. WOuld be curious to hear about success of other people. :-)