Harvey has been planting trees on the farm since he was twelve years old. Through the years of experimenting he has extended the range of several plant species beyond their established climatic zones, including the subtropical kiwi and persimmon. One of the most surprising of Harvey's plants is his kiwi. Their trellis is on a north-facing slope which helps protect them from leafing too early in the spring. The kiwis begin growth sometime in April and flower in June.
Bees are necessary for pollination.
Harvey's two six year old female kiwis started bearing three years after they were planted, and have yielded a hundred pounds of fruit each season for the last three years. The plants are free from mildew or bug damage. Kiwis seem to have left behind the disease and insect predators they might have had in their native environment, the Yangtze Valley in China. Harvey propagates kiwis from his established plants by layering the vines. The newly rooted vines generally are kept indoors for the first couple of winters as they have a better chance of surviving a freeze after they have some woodiness in their stems.