Kiwifruit · Hŭngnam, South Hamgyong, North Korea
When to plant kiwifruit in Hŭngnam
Main outdoor window
27 Apr - 25 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
20 April
In Hŭngnam, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Oct - 30 Nov
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Hŭngnam
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the vine
27 Apr - 25 May
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Oct - 30 Nov
Kiwifruit through the year
Against the frost risk in Hŭngnam
Why these dates
The dormant vine takes about -12C, but growth starts early and new shoots are killed at -1C, which in a cool climate is what limits it far more than winter cold.
Kiwifruit are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Hŭngnam has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Hŭngnam sits in zone 6a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 4, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Hŭngnam
Other fruits to time
Growing kiwifruit in Hŭngnam
When should I plant kiwifruit in Hŭngnam?
Aim for 27 Apr - 25 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 3-31 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will kiwifruit be ready to harvest in Hŭngnam?
Expect to start picking around 1 Oct - 30 Nov, based on 150 to 180 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will kiwifruit tolerate?
The dormant vine takes about -12C, but growth starts early and new shoots are killed at -1C, which in a cool climate is what limits it far more than winter cold.