Hi kids! This is my friend Gary the Grower, he has been a ZESPRI® grower for ages and ages so is the best person to tell us how to grow yummy kiwifruit!
So Gary, how DO you grow kiwifruit?
Well Kiwi Bee, did you know kiwifruit has been grown in New Zealand over 100 years?
Wow, that’s older than granddad! You must know how to do everything!
You’re right Kiwi Bee, we have learnt heaps!
New Zealand is a great place to grow kiwifruit because we get lots of sun and lots of rain which makes the soil perfect.
I am always busy too, because it takes about 9 months to grow the perfect kiwifruit!
In Winter we cut the vines, and tie them to frames so that when it gets cold...
and windy they are protected from getting hurt. We do this to make sure the vines are perfect for when spring comes around so that the fruit can start to grow again.
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In Spring everything in the kiwifruit orchard starts to wake up and grow...
bright green buds start to appear and turn into little white flowers. This is where you and your friends come into it Kiwi Bee. You guys help me out by pollinating the flowers and these flowers then turn into small kiwifruit.
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In Summer growers cut some of the kiwifruit vines so the sun can shine...
through all the big leaves and help the fruit grow. We also take off some smaller kiwifruit so the rest can grow big and tasty.
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In Autumn my kiwifruit are fully grown. When I think the kiwifruit are...
just perfect I call up Sandra the Scientist to test if I’m right. If she says that I am right I get all my other friends to help me pick the kiwifruit. Then Paul the Packer comes to get it and sends it to all the supermarkets in New Zealand and around the world!
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