Chayote

Chayote: plant 100 cm (39 in) apart in the row and 200 cm (79 in) between rows, 1 plant per 11 squares. Good neighbours: Sweet corn, Borage, Calendula.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	100 cm (39 in)
Between rows	200 cm (79 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 plant per 11 squares
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	25 cm (10 in)
Height when grown	250 cm (98 in)
Crop rotation group	Anywhere in the rotation
Support	Climbs: give it a trellis or teepee

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From a bought plant, sown straight into the bed
Seeds per hole	1
Plants kept after thinning	1
Seeds per metre of row	1
Sowing depth	5 cm (2 in)
Soil temperature	from 18 °C, best 22–28 °C
Days to emerge	14–28 days
Light while germinating	Light makes no difference
Before sowing	nothing needed
When to sow	Indoors 4 weeks before the last frost; outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 18 °C

From seedling to plant

Pricking out	sown where it grows
Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	5–7 days
Life cycle	Tender perennial, grown as an annual where it freezes
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	30 L, 40 cm (15.7 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; at flowering, while fruit sets
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, at flowering, while picking
Support and training	A trellis or net; tie in as it grows, prune

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	120–180 days, from planting
Ready when	The fruit is the size you want, still young
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 6–12 weeks
Typical yield	10–30 kg per plant
Botanical family	Cucurbitaceae
Watch out for	Powdery mildew, spider mites
First crop after	1 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Plan Chayote in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Chayote onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Sow indoors	Mar–Apr
Sow outdoors	May
Harvest	Sep–Nov

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Chayote →

From the same family

Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

More in Squash, cucumbers and melons

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