Kiwis as big as grapes, sweet as candy, eaten with the skin on and growing in plants that can climb like vines. No, it’s not a prank; it exists for real, it grows at home, and we can even adopt it when we don’t have the space to plant them at home!
“The agricultural industry knows that this is one of the finest emerging products in Quebec,” says Michel Larocque, co-owner of O’kiwi it grows here, a producer of Arctic kiwi plants in the Joliette region. “There are no known predators yet in Quebec, no diseases either. That’s a big plus. »
PHOTO NODAR CHERNISHEV, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
Arctic kiwis originate from Siberia.
Originally from Siberia, where they grow rustically, the first arctic kiwi plants were introduced in Quebec 40 years ago, but only the males were planted at the time, for their ornamental qualities. It was only about fifteen years ago that we decided to also plant females in order to be able to harvest fruit. As the plants take about 12 years to reach their full yield, we understand why it is still very difficult to find retail.
“The orchard of Tilly, of Saint-Apollinaire, near Quebec, is the biggest producer, tells us Marie-Michèle Bellemare, partner of Michel Larocque. We will soon start to find it in grocery stores, but I think we will have to wait another five years before having an adequate volume for retail sale. »
You can also choose to plant your own kiwi tree at home – O’kiwi that grows here is one of the producers who offer cultivars particularly adapted to our climate.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Marie-Michèle Bellemare and Michel Larocque, owners of O’Kiwi it grows here
The Kolomikta variety is ideal for residential customers, it grows well in partial shade conditions. It produces fruit after three years, you can harvest nearly 30 kg per year at full maturity.
Marie-Michèle Bellemare, co-owner of O’kiwi it grows here
The Arguta variety, on the other hand, grows in the field and is adapted to being in full sun. It produces after only 4 to 7 years, but can generate up to 100 kg of fruit. “In commercial operations, they are planted in rows, mounted on a foot, like in a vineyard, but higher, they are held between 6 and 8 feet, explains Marie-Michèle Bellemare. Individuals can make a green wall of them or have them climb poles. The tallest I saw in Montreal was two and a half stories. And it lives for 100 to 150 years! »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LA FERME DU MIHOULI
The kiwi plants here are laid out in the fields like grape vines.
Adopt your kiwi tree
As these are the kind of plants whose roots do not resist frost well, it is not advisable to grow them in pots, so you cannot keep them at home if it is impossible to plant them in the ground. But be aware that it is possible to adopt your own plant at the Ferme du Mihouli, in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. “A lot of people told us: ‟I don’t have time, I don’t have a green thumb”, tells us Nadine Gelly, a communications professional who started her farm with her recently retired husband from banking. “We said to ourselves: why not suggest that they adopt a kiwi plant? People can therefore come here to maintain their plants, but also those of others. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Nadine Gelly and Claude Gagnon, owners of the Ferme du Mihouli
In return, the adoptive parents will be able to harvest the equivalent of a tenth of the production of a kiwi tree – we are talking about a minimum of 6 kg of fruit. During the first year of adoption, customers will also have a place at the Grande Tablée des harvests, an annual event which will be organized for the first time in the fall by the Ferme du Mihouli. “It will be a place of welcome for local producers and for restaurateurs, because we will have a catering infrastructure to welcome chefs, there will be some very well-known ones”, affirms Mme Gelly, adding that all proceeds will be donated to the Tablée des chefs, which fights against food insecurity. “The event will be open to the public, but priority goes to people who have adopted their kiwi plant; it is in fact on this occasion that they will choose their plant. »
For meme Gelly, this project represents the best of both worlds, straddling his new rural life and his passion for tourism and culture. “We visited many other producers around the world, we saw their huge warehouses and we said to ourselves that this was not what we wanted to do, she recalls. What we wanted was to create a community around this project. »
And, of course, making local kiwis known!