Growing Choko/Chayote, also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton

Sechium edule : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions

  • Easy to grow. Plant whole mature fruit when one produces a shoot at one end.. Best planted at soil temperatures between 15°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 100 cm apart
  • Harvest in 17-25 weeks. Best when fruit is light green and not more than 6 cm long.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Cucumbers

Your comments and tips

14 Feb 23, Rianna Rothman (New Zealand - temperate climate)
My choko is growing like crazy, planted in May 2022 but still no flowers or fruit. When will it start flowering?
22 Feb 23, (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Back off fertilising it and cut the watering down.
05 Dec 22, Tamra Stafford (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Our choko vine produces very well, but the majority of the chokos appear to be stung or dimpled. What is doing this, and can we stop it.
24 Nov 22, Beeve (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Where can we actually get a choko, to grow
26 Jul 22, Nori (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
When do I start cutting down the plant. Is it during winter season? Tks
27 Jul 22, Julie Pannell (Australia - temperate climate)
Cut back the vines to about 12 inches above ground after the last choko has been picked, closer to the end of winter. They will have very little growth for ages and then grow again when the time is right. The leaves can be dead at the beginning of vines but still keep fruit growing at the ends. They fruit for many months.
27 Jun 22, Virginia de Joux (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi - wondering if you have any choko plants spare? I am struggling to find a seed source.
05 Aug 22, Anthony (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
i Buy a choko from the store and leave it on top of my fridge or in a fruit bowl on the table .The choko will sprout from one end. Once sprouted it is ready to plant out. Plant the whole vegetable in the ground on its side. Then support and train the vine up a stake or trellis. i then train it to a overhead rack, (Old wire mesh fence gate on poles ) 1 choko will produce a lot of vines , and should yield 80 fruit or more
30 Jun 22, (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Buy a choko and put it in your pantry until it starts sprouting.
03 Jun 22, Jessy (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Grew my first ever choko this year starting with a whole choko in the ground. Got more than 200 chokos. I like the taste of choko after it started sprouting. So I ended up with a lot of sprouted choko seeds which I planted in the ground. (Only the seeds, no flesh attached to it). They are growing well and I am harvesting the growing tips from them already. If these plants from seeds alone grow big, will they produce chokos? Does the nutritional value of chokos change as they start sprouting? Thanks.
Showing 11 - 20 of 267 comments

Have a choko that has a shoot. Would like to know how to plant it. Shoot up? or do I bury the whole choko? Await your advise.

- Gracie Camilleri

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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