Cocktail Kiwi

I promise this is the last part of my order from Suttons (you can see what else I ordered here and here)! 

I've wanted to grow a kiwi fruit for a long time but I've never had anywhere to grow it against and my mothers kiwi has never fruited (or even flowered) so that has put me off as well.

As usual a well packaged plant and a good size as well

 Then I read on the internet about the "cocktail" kiwi (or kiwi fruit "Issai"), from Siberia, hardy down to minus 35 and a mature plant can produce over 1000 fruits in a year, they're the size of grapes, with no fur and dry to make kiwi sweets. Sounds like my kind of plant! I just needed somewhere to plant it.

Our "beautiful" shed that we inherited when we brought the place. Although it does face south west...

 I kept thinking about where I could grow a climber like this but struggled to find somewhere that wasn't on my plans to be knocked down or moved. I then decided to stop thinking so long term, sometimes you can be thinking too far into the future and not utilise what you've got now. The old tin sheds in our front yard are going to come down at some point, but not before I've built the extension and a barn, so that means they're going to be about for at least five years and they're blinking ugly as you drive up to our house!

Hopefully the kiwi will soon fill this trellis

 I found some old trellis up the field at my dads and wired it to the shed, dug a good sized hole and filled it with soil and compost before planting the kiwi and training it up the timbers.

Already some little fruits on it.

Kiwis grow quite fast so hopefully it will begin to cover this old shed and produce some fruit in the meantime, there's already some little fruits on the plant. I've got a little more trellis for the other side as well, so there I'm going to plant a clematis for a bit of colour.

Anyone else keep thinking long term and not using what they've got now because of it?

Also anyone else grow kiwis and have much success? Any tips?

Oh The Shame!

I am a man of many sheds, but there has been one that lately I just open the door and chuck things into. This is my old allotment shed and I feel it has been neglected somewhat!

Open door - chuck thing in - quickly close door before it all falls out!

My mother came up to visit last week and she wanted me to put some of Ev's toys away in the shed.
I had to say there was no room.
She didn't believe me.
I got talked into opening the shed.
She was unimpressed.
I was a little ashamed.
I decided to clean it out there and then.
She was guilted into helping me.



Not much better but I can now see the floor and get into the shed!

To be fair it didn't take long and it feels so much better knowing I can get back into what used to be a really useful garden shed! Also this has given me an area to sort out and store my paints until things turn a little colder.