Chinese gooseberries (Kiwis)

We had hundreds of flowers on our vines but so many fruits didn't develop or did the June drop. This morning we decided to have another go at collecting any more fruits. They love to climb and so many far to high for us. However we did collect a good number. They are rock hard like the first ones we collected some weeks ago. But we will put them in with the bananas and hopefully that will allow them to ripen.

 

Those are fantastic, @On the Levels, what a harvest! Can I ask how old the plants are? I love kiwi fruit. I have an Akebia quinata vine (young), which I think is related.

 

@ClematisDbee I don't think yours is related. We have one as well and the flowers are lovely and fragrant but no fruit. Our Chinese gooseberries have a tale to tell. We bought a self fertile one from a local nursery. After MANY years it did flower but no fruit. I tried to cross pollinate. No good. Went back to the nursery and asked for advice and WAIT for it....they gave us a male and female plant free of charge. Amazing. So we planted the new female near to the old "self fertile" one. And last year we got fruit for the first time. We had hundreds of flowers this year but either not pollinated or as I said June drop. If only they would curtail their climbing as we know that there are more fruits but cannot get to them. The first ones we had this year were also rock hard and we had to wait some weeks for them to ripen but it was worth the wait.

 

Oh fantastic - well worth the wait with the help of the newer vines, then! Makes one wonder about some of the 'self-fertile' varieties that are sold. I suppose by the time the too tall to reach fruits fall off the vines, they will be over-ripe. Someone needs to invent a tool to coax the others safely down. Oh you're right, I was thinking of the ornamental Actinidia kolomikta. I am now tempted to plant an edible kiwi vine, even if just for the flowers.

 

I just wonder what they are climbing if they are getting out of reach?
They are doing well and a shame if you cant get to them all.

I've bought some from Chile and NZ in the last few days, and bearing in mind they are both southern hemisphere countries I just wonder if ripening is something that is difficult outside in the UK.
The fact they are being imported now suggests the fruit takes most of the winter to ripen.

 

@pete yes you are right about ripening but we didn't give up with the first harvest and again yes we waited for some weeks and then thought enough is enough and ready to throw them in the compost bin BUT we didn't and when we peeled the skin off the fragrance was as it should be Lovely.
We met a couple many years ago who told us that finding the fruits was only after all the leaves had come down. So that suggests what you are saying they only ripen very late in the season.