Varieties

Female vines
Hayward is the standard commercial and backyard kiwifruit variety for much of California. Of all kiwifruit varieties, Hayward requires the most winter chill, as many as 700 hours at or below 45°F. Its vines flower later and are less productive than the vines of other varieties, but Hayward fruit excel in size, shape, flavor, and storage qualities. Hayward is the best variety to plant in California north of Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo.

All of the following kiwifruit varieties are low-chill varieties that require from 50 to 250 hours at or below 45°F for adequate fruiting. Low-chill varieties are best suited to southern California, and include Abbott, Allison, Dexter, Elmwood, Monty, Tewi, and Vincent. Abbott and Allison may almost reach the petal-fall stage before Hayward vines even flower.

Abbott fruit, and the similar Allison fruit, are small to medium in size, oval, and dark brown, and are covered with long, dense, coarse hairs. Bruno fruit are large, long, cylindrical, and very dark brown, and have short hairs. The Dexter variety, a newcomer from Australia, is similar to the Abbott and Allison. The Elmwood has shown excellent prospects for areas that are warm in winter. Its vines are extremely vigorous and produce the largest "kiwi-shaped" fruit. The Monty variety bears small to medium fruit with bristly, coarse hairs. It ripens the latest of all the varieties named here. Although a very prolific bearer, at times the core of its fruit may be woody. The Tewi's fruit are similar in appearance to the fruit of Hayward, its parent variety. Tewi grows moderately vigorous vines. Vincent fruit are oval and brown, and because Vincent's production can be so heavy, the fruit may be smaller than the Abbott. All varieties produce heavily in warm winter areas. 

Other varieties you might encounter include Blake, an extremely early maturing, low-chill, teardrop-shaped variety; Chico, generally considered to be a Hayward; Kramer, a Hayward sport; and Gracie, a variety with fruit that are somewhat pear-shaped.

Male vines
Choose from among several male varieties to pollinate your female plants. Generally, a male vine will pollinate the surrounding female flowers if both bloom at the same time. Chico pollinators are common to all areas of California, since their blooming seems to coincide best with that of female Hayward vines. The Matua, a long-flowering variety, is considered a good pollinator for most varieties. Chico No. 3 and other early flowering males are probably the best pollinators for early blooming, low-chill varieties.