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 59°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 39 inches 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

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06 Nov 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Don't fertiliser when you plant. Either mix the fertiliser in a few weeks before you plant or wait until after the plants have grown a bit before fertilizing. Just a normal veggie growing fertiliser. 10-12 N, 3-4-5 P, 10-14K.
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02 Nov 17, Lianne van coller (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Where in South Africa can i purchase a vine
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01 Nov 17, Tony (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi ,we have a large choko vine growing on a trellis with a passion fruit vine .The plant gets covered in flowers but very little fruit It has only produced about 6 small deformed fruit so far.The plant is arround 1 year old in well drained soil that gets plenty of kitchen scraps for mulch as well as getting a dose of bokashi now and then.Is there a particular fertalizer to use to set fruit on the plant.I welcome your ideas to help. tHANKS,tONY..
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03 Nov 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Stop putting the scraps there. Probably too much N. Leaf growth and little fruit. When it flowers cut out the N and give it some K. Consider pulling out the passion fruit also. Or transplant it some where else.
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26 Aug 17, Cathie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My choko vine is healthy and gets flowers no fruit forms we have native bees live between Yeppoon and Rockhampton given potash, composted manure is it lacking something and what Ph they like
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28 Aug 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The notes here say plant Oct-Nov. Maybe yours is a bit out of season. We have had a very mild Winter. Don't go too hard with the potash - maybe only put potash on when it has flowered and fruit has set. Google about growing it - it needs warm weather to grow.
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28 Aug 17, Darren (Australia - temperate climate)
Despite your vine having flowers, how old is it? On this site, it states that chokoes need a long growing season of 4 to 6 months.
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08 Aug 17, Kath ingram (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Id like to grow chokos we live in cooma nsw n was wondering if i would be able to grow them in a greenhouse
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18 Jun 17, Patrick webstet (Australia - temperate climate)
What time of year do I plant chokos on the central coast of Nsw l live At kulnura
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20 Jun 17, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
December
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Showing 131 - 140 of 267 comments
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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.

- Julie Pannell

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