Florida Kiwi

I am an adventuresome gardener and will attempt to grow just about anything. Earlier this year I was intriqued with the idea of growing kiwi vines at my Hernando County home. While researching how to grow Kiwi vines, I found many online posts from fellow Floridians discussing a lack of success with bringing their Kiwi vines to the point of fruiting.   I am also a confident, somewhat egotistical gardener, and dismissing the failures of others, I went forward with obtaining some Kiwi vines.  I was going to order them online but happened to come across some at Lowe's.  From my research the varieties best suited for my central Florida location are Vincent and Tomuri. Kiwi's need a male and female for pollination, Vincent is the female and Tomuri is the male. Most nurseries sell them individually but the pots at Lowe's have one vine of each. First I worked some good compost into the soil, then planted my vines on a pergola in a partially shady spot adjacent to my vegetable garden.  To keep the roots cook I dressed the bed with a good layer of mulch, and have been administering a light top dressing of fertilizer every two months.  I planted the vines back in May, and they exploded! Below are pictures of the vines as they are at present. I'm actually hoping they go dormant this winter or they are going to take over my garden. I feel good that my vines are growing well, so we'll see if I get any blooms next year. Even if they never fruit, I have to admit they are a pretty vine for my pergola with their big, bright green fuzzy leaves. I am also reading a little bit about golden or yellow kiwi, so maybe I need to add to my fruit collection....