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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05 Feb 21, SHIRL (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi there, Can I plant a sprouted choko into a pot/ground in February in Sydney? If not how can keep this to be planted later. Thanks for any advice.
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20 Feb 21, bushgirl (Australia - temperate climate)
If you have a warm corner, and can protect it from frost, you may be able to encourage it to grow for a couple of months. The idea is to help it mature enough to over-Winter and sprout again in Spring. Chokos can be temperamental in pots and planting direct in the ground, now, may expose it to being chilled earlier but the temperature in the earth will be more constant. Do not cover the crown of the choko with earth as your choko will rot. Leave top exposed a couple of centimetres and water around your choko, not on it, as this can also cause rot. Once they are established, with healthy leaves, they should withstand the odd over the top watering. They thrive is you have plenty of humus in the soil.
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08 Feb 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It says to plant Dec for temperate. If you are on the sub tropical side for weather MAYBE. If you have cooler weather probably not. You can give it a try.
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15 Jan 21, My Quach (Australia - temperate climate)
Choko leaves become yellow Please advise how to save my choko.
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18 Jan 21, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
Water and fertiliser
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26 Nov 20, Luna (Australia - tropical climate)
My choco leaves get burn dueing summer and the fruits become unhealthy . It also upset me because of some yellow beetles around which i always squeezed by hand.
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26 Nov 20, Anonymous (Australia - tropical climate)
By the guide here it is grown during the autumn and winter in the tropics. If you are growing during the summer then you probably need to water it every day. The yellow/orange beetles if they have little black dots on them could be lady beetles. They are good in the garden.
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17 Nov 20, Rob Alan (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a Choko vine. Fruited very well last year. Is starting to produce fruit but they are rotting on the vine. Does anyone have any idea why?
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18 Nov 20, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Phone an agronomist at an agric stocking/supply company.
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08 Nov 20, Joanne (Australia - temperate climate)
What causes leaf curl on choko vine.
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Showing 51 - 60 of 268 comments
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Hi Catherine, thanks for the tip re the choko chocolate cake. I have had a look at it and noticed sugar is mentioned twice ie 1 1/2 cups and then later 1 cup. Is this a miss print? it just seems like a lot of sugar for 125g of butter. cheers, Sandra

- Sandra

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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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