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  

(Best months for growing Choko/Chayote in Australia - sub-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 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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08 Apr 22, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
You are temperate NZ and by the guide here it won't grow in your area. It needs warmer weather.
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06 Jan 22, Lance Hill (USA - Zone 9a climate)
We would love to hear from anyone growing chokos (chayote/mirlitons) on your techniques and experiences. Our website is devoted to all things Mirlitons: www.Mirliton.org, including the world's largest collection of chayote recipes. I also have an article on the history of mirlitons that links the Australian and U.S. varieties.
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20 Dec 21, Asor (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Where to buy choko
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21 Dec 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Buy one from a shop and let it sprout then plant it.
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21 Nov 21, Carol (Australia - arid climate)
I have a choko that is starting to shoot. Can I plant this now in Dubbo.
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23 Nov 21, (Australia - temperate climate)
The only climate zone they say here for growing choko is sub-tropical. You could try and see what happens.
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27 Apr 21, Betty (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
We plan to move within 6 months and I want my choko to come with us. How can I keep a choko fruit so I can plant it in our new garden? I have fruit now. Or what would you advise Thanks? Thanks.
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28 Apr 21, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
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.
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22 Apr 21, Rowena Flood (Australia - temperate climate)
Does anyone have choko's growing in tasmania
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29 Apr 21, (Australia - temperate climate)
Very unlikely unless they are in a temperate or subtropical climate.
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Showing 21 - 30 of 224 comments
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I see you are in a cool mountain climate and want to grow choko's. This challenge would be affected by how many frost-free months you have. I have seen them in Sydney 12 metres (40') up in a gum tree and have grown them in Bairnsdale on the South Coast of Victoria where they covered a shed. It's worth the challenge. Buy one or two choko's from a fruit shop and keep them inside on a bench until they start to sprout then plant the whole choko in a pot with the sprout base just under the soil. Keep them inside until all risks of frost are over. Select a spot in the garden that gets the maximum amount of sun for the day. Against a North or North-East facing wall or fence would be ideal. Dig a good sized hole and add horse or poultry manure in the bottom then cover that with soil. As the manure rots it will generate heat which will help get the choko growing and also provide fertiliser when the roots get down. Some aluminium foil or a piece of builders insulation fixed behind it will reflect heat and help as well. You will have to hope for a long hot summer to get chokos for harvest but it won't have cost you a lot if it doesn't work. Choko vines die back in the winter so you could give it a good blanket of hay or straw to protect the root from frost and hopefully a better season next year. All the best, let us know how you go.

- Jack

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