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Gardeners urged to slice open UK supermarket kiwis but issued one warning

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A has shared a guide on how to grow kiwis in your own yard with a single store-bought kiwi. In a TikTok video, the expert shares step-by-step instructions on how to plant and grow your new fruit-bearing plant.

The TikTok video comes from the account, , which has over 800,000 followers and regularly shares tips and tricks. The account is run by the gardening expert and author, Simon Akeroyd, whose latest book ‘Grow Your Groceries: 40 Hacks for Growing Plants from Your Weekly Shop’ is a and Irish Times bestseller.

In the caption for the TikTok video, Akeroyd advises: “ (in some countries they are called kiwi fruit) are climbing plants, so you will need a structure for them to grow up.”

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He also says there’s another key component that is necessary for your kiwis to throve and that is a pollinator. Akeroyd writes that “both male and female plants need to be grown if you want to produce fruit”. Thus, he advises that you trying growing a few seedlings to increase your chances of a successful crop.

But Akeroyd confirms that kiwis are “easy to grow” and you can do so by starting with a few kiwis purchases from the supermarket. But, anyone hoping to see fruit crops this summer may be disappointed - as the flowers can take years to produce fruit.

Step 1: “Cut a kiwi in half to reveal their seeds”

Kiwi seeds are black in colour, rounded and edible.

image Step 2: “Remove some of the seeds”

As shown in the video, this can be done using the tip of a knife. Simply dig out a few of the seeds and place them on a dry paper towel.

Step 3: “Leave to dry for a few days”

Drying seeds before planting them can increase the rate of .

Step 4: “Sprinkle the seeds over compost”

As shown in the video, you can start off with a small pot for the initial stages.

image Step 5: “Take a freezer bag and place it over the [planted] seeds”

This acts as a mini-, trapping humidity and speeding up the germination process.

Step 6: “Leave on a windowsill”

Make sure your seeds get plenty of sunlight. According to Akeroyd, you should be able to see baby kiwi plants grow in a matter of a few weeks.

Step 7: “Prick out when they produce true leaves and [re-pot] to increase their size”

Carefully, remove the full leaves - including stem - from your plant and put them in a larger pot. According to Akeroyd, you do need to wait a while before they produce fruit. He warned: “It can take a few years for [the planted leaves] to produce , but in the meantime they make beautiful ornamental climbing plants with large, attractive foliage.”

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