Kiwi Flowers

Day 247: I'm having trouble typing because I have all my fingers crossed that this year's Hardy Kiwi crop will be bigger than last year's. Last year was actually a record, with something like two dozen end-of-thumb sized berries when the final tally was in, and that was almost four times as many as I'd gotten the year before. I suspect that like my fig tree, once the vines start producing, they'll yield more with every passing year, although in past years, there have been other issues interfering with fruit set, such as heat waves, cold snaps and lack of pollinators. I have three vines all tangled up with each other: a self-fertile "Issai," and a pair (male and female) of another variety. Self-fertile varieties reportedly do better when they have another species to pollinate them, although they will produce a crop without a partner. I'll be happy with whatever I get, though. The berries are fuzzless and pack just as much flavour as their large cousins.