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
      P P P P          

(Best months for growing Choko/Chayote in Australia - tropical regions)

  • P = Plant tubers
  • 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

19 Jul 12, George. (Australia - temperate climate)
I'd like to plant 100 metre long trellises of chokos. Could you please give me some advice as to how to go about it? eg. type of trellis, growing conditions, variety, how long does a plant last, yields etc. Do you just use a normal choko for a seedling? Thanks for your help.
24 Jun 12, Marguerite (Australia - temperate climate)
From 2001 to 2008 my vine grew enough chokos for the whole neighborhood.. then it wilted, i planted more in new soil, they wilted;At last this year leaves grew.. and male flowers; but no females flowers. i gave them blood & bone, Thrive, etc.. No good. The neighbors probably think that i have grown mean with age ! Any advice please ?
01 Jun 12, (Australia - arid climate)
The trick to peeling chokos is to first split them in half, sprinkle some salt on the cut surfaces then rubbing them together to rid them of the gooey substance. This works really quickly like magic!
06 Jun 12, Ryan (Australia - arid climate)
- how about the recipes though, get a bit bored with steaming or pan frying. Surely there must be more ways to use them ?
07 Nov 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
A few recipie ideas: - Choko Pickles (plenty of recipies on the web) - Starter: Choko soup - Main: Creamy Basil Choko Ingredients: 4 rashes bacon, cut into strips 1 medium onion, diced 3-4 chokos, peeled & cut into 1/8 pieces 1/2 cup evaporated milk (or cream) 2 tbl sp parmesan cheese 2 tbl sp chopped fresh basil 1/2 tbl sp oil Directions: fry bacon until crispy, remove from pan & place in a baking dish. Cook in bacon fat & oil until translucent, remove from pan & place in baking dish. Add choko pieces to baking dish. Pour evaporated milk (or cream) over top, sprinkle with parmesan & chopped basil Cook in oven at 180c for 30-45 min until choko is tender - Desert: 2 Choko pealed and sliced into 1/8 and poached with 1/2 pod vanilla (or 1/2 tsp essence), 1-2 cloves and 1/4 cup sugar. Serve with icecream.
15 Jun 12, (Australia - temperate climate)
Choko is great chopped up and stirred into curry dishes. Fried in butter, sprinkled with herbs and sweetened with honey is nice too. It can be cooked to a mush for use to thicken (give body to) soup and casserole dishes also.
31 May 12, (Australia - temperate climate)
what goodness is in choko that I should eat them
14 Jul 12, Alexis (Australia - temperate climate)
They're very high in fibre.
28 May 12, Laura (Australia - temperate climate)
I also have two sprouting chokoes.Do I keep them and if there still alright, plant them in the warmer months?
22 May 12, june (Australia - temperate climate)
Have some chokos that were picked very late and are shooting. Does the whole choko go into the ground with the shoot sticking up or do is there something else that must be completed first? Thanks all.
Showing 171 - 180 of 221 comments

Best I can suggest is keep a few of the very last ones of this crop. Put them in the pantry. They could take a few months before they start to sprout. The new vine could grow a few feet long by the time you plant. Or say spring time plant them in a 9L bucket or tin etc and grow them there until plant out time.

- Anonymous

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply


All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate App

Put Gardenate in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use Gardenate and subscribe to the free Gardenate planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About Gardenate | Contact us | Privacy Policy

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. Gardenate 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.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.